Garlic-head vase, Suantouping
Global shipping available
- Origin
- China
- Period
- Western Han Dynasty, 206 BC - 25 AD
- Material
- Bronze
- Height
- 41 cm
Questions about this object?
Please use one of the contact options below:
Description
The globular lower body of the vase rises from a tall, flared foot, to a slender neck decorated with a ridge at mid-height and terminating in a bulbous, garlic-shaped head. The surface has a malachite-green patina. Examples of this type of vase, dating to the Qin or Han Dynasty, are in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Garlic-head vases were used for ceremonial wine, in both the Warring States period and the Han Dynasty. The name garlic-head is derived from the top of the vase, that is shaped like a garlic bulb.