Hunan Province, China / Winged cup (erbei) / 3rd century B.C.

Hunan Province, China
Winged cup (erbei)
3rd century B.C.
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Creator Nationality: Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese; Hunanese
Creator Name-CRT: Hunan Province, China
Title: Winged cup (erbei)
View: Principal view
Creation Start Date: -29
Creation End Date: -20
Creation Date: 3rd century B.C.
Creation Place: Hunan Province, China
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Materials and Techniques: lacquered wood
Dimensions: L. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Description: By the Warring States period, Chu, noted for its lacquer production, was the major cultural force in south central China. The visual arts of Chu are often characterized as shamanistic in response to the prevalence of images of fairylike creatures riding on dragons, or clouds that change imperceptibly into dragons, and, as they meander through the sky, transform again into dragons. The playful, thin lines painted on this winged cup are a later stylized version of the traditional cloud-dragon motif. The two large winglike appendages on the cup are often described as "ears" in Chinese writings, and cups of this type, known from at least the eighth century B.C., are generally termed "ear-cups ," or erbei. It was most likely once part of a matched set of eating and drinking vessels.
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York
ID Number: 1974.268.4
Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur M. Sackler Gift, 1974
Copyright: Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art . All rights reserved.
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/education/er_photo_lib.asp
Style or Period: late Warring States period (ca. 475?221 B.C.)
Style or Period: Eastern Zhou dynasty
AMICA ID: MMA_.1974.268.4
AMICA Library Year: 2002
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright (c) 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All Rights Reserved

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