Jia wine vessel

The profile of this jia wine vessel’s body is S-shaped, with the inward curvature placed close to the rim of the vessel. Dragonized taotie and rising blades with stylized cicadas decorate the neck belt. The body taotie, on a ground of squared spirals, displays unusual features: horns with alternating T-shaped and straight scores usually associated with flanges, and a hybrid forehead shield with the upper part hooked and the lower half drawn as the round-topped shield. Notable, too, is the small vertical dragon beneath the tail of the cleft taotie under the handle. The handle is topped with a bovine head and terminates with curved legs ending in hooves. Underneath, in place of an inscription, is a bearded human figure in flat relief on a spiral ground. The pictogram represents a clan’s insignia and is seen in many bronze vessels of the late Shang dynasty.