Bird Zun

Bronze ware from the Spring and Autumn Period
Total height 25.3 cm, length 33 cm. Excavated from Zhao Qing's tomb in Jinsheng Village, Taiyuan City in 1988. Wine vessel. Shaped like a bird of prey with its head held high, it is plump, with wide-open eyes, a slender neck and a hooked beak. The hollow abdomen is connected to the neck and beak. The sharp hooked beak is a free-opening spout, which opens automatically when pouring wine and closes when resetting. The design is ingenious. There is a lid on the bird's back, with a tiger-shaped handle on it, and the lid is connected to the handle with a chain. The bird's legs are upright, with webbed feet. In order to make the vessel stable and balanced, a tiger-shaped support foot is set under the bird's tail. The tiger's front legs support the ground, and the hind legs push upwards, forming a three-point support for the vessel. The whole body is embossed with wings, and the feather patterns are gorgeous and clear, with a sense of hierarchy. A bronze masterpiece from the late Jin Dynasty.