Zun wine vessel in the shape of an owl

China

13th-12th century BCE

Bronze

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This zun wine vessel, sometimes referred to as the “Pillsbury Owl, ” was used by China’s Shang dynasty aristocrats in ceremonies honoring their ancestors. Ceremonial vessels in animal form were virtually the only bronze sculpture produced during the Shang period. The owl’s head is a removable lid covering a hollow body. This is one of the earliest, largest, and most naturalistic owl-shaped vessels of its time, its form reflecting the influence of the late Shang capital at Anyang in northern China while its casting technique aligns it with bronze traditions of the middle Yangzi region in the south. Gallery G214 Bequest of Alfred F. P