Ritual Wine Cup (Zhi)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Ritual Wine Cup, by an unknown artist, is a bronze vessel with a green patina. The vessel has a wide mouth and a flared rim. The body of the vessel is bulbous in the center and tapers down to a narrow base. There are two bands of intricate designs around the vessel, one near the top and one near the bottom. The top band features a repeating pattern of small circles and lines, while the bottom band has a design of interconnected spirals. The background of the image is a gradient from dark gray at the top to light gray at the bottom. A shadow is cast to the right of the vessel.