A rare archaic gray pottery tripod wine vessel (Gui), Early Shang dynasty, Erlitou culture | 商初 二里頭文化 灰陶鬶

Identified by the protruding spout set on the mouth, tripod vessels of this form are named gui 鬶. Gui vessels are considered to be functional receptacles originating from the Neolithic period that were used for both cooking and drinking. Compare a gray pottery tripod gui of a similar form, attributed to the Erlitou culture (c.1900-c.1500 BC), sold in these rooms, 30th March 2006, lot 1. For other examples of pottery gui from the Erlitou culture, see two in the collection of the Henan Provincial Museum, Zhengzhou, one excavated at Gongxian, the other at Yucun, Dengfeng county, Henan province, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [The complete works of Chinese ceramics], vol. 2, Shanghai, 2000, pls 1 and 2, respectively. See also a white pottery tripod ewer and cover published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 3 (I), London, 2006, p. 78, pl. 1090, where it is noted that vessels of this type were probably used for ritual purposes and their form followed vessels of the Longshan culture.