Fangjia wine vessel

Jia were among the earliest Chinese bronze vessels cast during the Erlitou period (c. 2000–1600 BCE). Archaeological excavations have found more jia and jue (another type of wine cup) than ding cauldrons, which held food. This suggests that people of the Erlitou period emphasized the role of wine in ritual ceremonies. Jia became prevalent during the Shang and early Western Zhou dynasties (c. 1600–977 BCE) and gradually fell out of favor and then disappeared during the late Western Zhou (c. 885–771 BCE). It was fashionable in the late Shang to make square variations on originally round types of vessels—hence, a new type of jia emerged. Known as fangjia, or “squared jia, ” it had a quadrangular shape and a rectangular or square cross section. In this example, taotie, composite-animal masks, appear on the largest panel on each side, which also features stylized animals, as is typical of much Shang art.