You wine vessel in double-owl shape, Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BCE. Bronze 17.78 × 15.08 × 11.75 cm, 1.7 kg; 11.11 × 7.94 cm (object part, mouth-a); 11.59 × 8.57 cm (object part, mouth-b). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Bequest of Alfred F. Pillsbury, 50.46.118a,b.

Two owls sit back to back to form this you wine vessel. The domed lid represents the birds’ heads. Rich decoration covers every surface except the backs of the short, stout legs. The background consists of squared spirals throughout. Two birds with cleft crests, bottle horns, and tails adorned with scales flank the animal-head-shaped lugs on the neck of the vessel.