Zun wine vessel, Western Zhou period, 10th century BCE. Bronze, 25 × 22.5 × 22.2 cm, 3.6 kg. Minneapolis Institute of Art, Bequest of Alfred F. Pillsbury, 50.46.120.

This vessel form, known as zun, was used to hold wine. Such vessels appeared during the Erligang period of the Shang dynasty (c. 1500–1300 BCE) and reached the height of their popularity in the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–771 BCE). The piece is an example of the earliest of several varieties of zun. By the mid–Western Zhou period (c. 976–886 BCE), bronze decoration began a process of stylistic transformation that can be seen in this piece. The focus is on a pair of large plumed birds, a favored image in the Western Zhou period.