Period: Late Shang dynasty (1,300-1046 B.C.)
Dimensions: H. 18 cm, Mouth Dia. 7.5-8.8 cm
Provenance: Unearthed at Dasikong village of Anyang of Henan province in 1958

With a lid, atop which is a fungus-shaped knob, a contracted neck, bulging belly, high ring foot, the vessel has two bands of the raised double ring  separating the vessel into three parts: mouth, neck, and belly; two vertical ridges on the front and back divide the body into two parts. The lid, mouth, and belly were decorated with beast masks in relief, the neck and the ring foot with kui dragons. Underside the base and inside the lid were a pair of inscriptions “Shoufuji”, Shou is the surname of the person who commissioned the vessel, thus “Shoufuji” denotes that Shou commissioned the vessel for making sacrifice to his father “Ji”.

Zhi, as a wine vessel, was popular during the late Shang to early Zhou period, and faded away along with other wine vessels in the wake of the collapse of rites in Zhou dynasty, and the establishment of the culture “food is superior to its container”.