Hufu Wine Barrel

Bronze ware from the Han Dynasty
Height 34.7 cm, diameter 65.5 cm. Unearthed in Dachuan Village, Youyu County in 1962. Gilded and painted throughout, a very rare technique. The body of the vessel is painted with vivid animal patterns such as tigers, elephants, deer, and horses. The rim is engraved with the inscription "Jiuyang Yincheng Hu Fu copper wine jar, weighing 120 jin, made in the third year of Heping (26 BC)." Jiuyang and Yincheng were both counties under the jurisdiction of Yanmen County in the Western Han Dynasty. Jiuyang was located in the north of Ying County today, and Yincheng was located in the southeast of Shuozhou today.