Winged Dragon Ceremonial Wine Cup

English Translation of 24-Character Inscription

“On this Man’s Day and in the Presence of the Ancestors at Dawn, 

the Son offers to the Heavenly Ancestors food, wine, many songs, 

and this bronze vessel that has been passed down for ten generations.”

~English translation of the dedication inside this vessel.

 Overview

This ancient Chinese bronze artifact is a ritual, Wine Ear Cup or “Erbei” in Chinese 耳杯 and it is approximately 3,000-years-old and was made during the Late Shang Dynasty.

It is a very early and EXTREMLEY RARE, ceremonial, bronze, wine-drinking cup that is sometimes called an “Double Ear Cup” because of the two protruding winged handles on each side of the oval shaped cup resemble human ears.  This example has a 12-character, incised inscription in Large Seal Script (also called Oracle Bone Script, Bronze Seal Script, or Great Seal Script) at the center of the cup and a 12-character inscription on the underside base of the cup, which I have attempted to translate. Please see translation below.

This incredible cup measures approximately 7.5” (192 mm) long x 6.8” (173 mm) wide x 1.30” (32 mm) tall and weighs 1.67 lb. or 26.7 oz. (759 gr.).

English Translation of Inscription/Dedication

This 2,000-year-old ritual bronze vessel contains a total of 24 characters that were incised into both the inside and outside of the vessel that are an inscription/dedication to the ancestors.  There are also very faint characters on the two handles of the ear cup and on the base, but they are so very faint and covered with a heavy patina that I can’t read them clearly enough to translate them.

These characters were incised into this bronze cup when it was created over 3,000-years-ago!  The pictographic characters on these Shang Dynasty bronzes are the earliest form of the written language in ancient China.  Modern archeologists call these early graphics or pictograms “Oracle Bone Script” or “Large Seal Script” as they have been found as a permanent record that was written by scribes on both oracle bones of cattle and on ritual bronze artifacts. 

Although some of the characters are faint or partially covered by oxidation, here is my best translation of the characters that were inscribed in three columns on the inside of the cup.  Any errors in the literal translation are those of this author: {see photos # 2-3}

1)     This very faint character on the top right side is a compound character may reference “a man’s day” as in the day he died. Ceremonies honoring the dead were often held of the anniversary of the person’s death—at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and yearly.

2)     The bold character that looks like a stick-figure of a man is the character for the son who is offering this bronze ear cup in sacrifice to his departed father and to their ancestors.  The son is shown in an ethereal shape as he is being raptured and mentally transported in the presence of his ancestors, by his filial love and desire to please them.

3)     The next character is a very old version of the character “yu” which is the right hand of the son making this ritual offering to the ancestors.

4)     This compound character at the bottom of the first column appears to be “many songs” or devotions about a primitive, hollowed out vessel “Fang.” {pg. 141}

5)     That which has passed through 10 “Shih” “+” “perfect” hands “Ku”, ie.  a tradition dating back 10 generations. Perhaps this refers to this bronze serving bowl that has been passed down for 10 “perfect” generations.  {pg. 69}

6)     “To ask in the Chinese way by turning and returning one’s speech.”

7)     A pictograph of this bronze ear cup that is offered to the Ancestors.

8)     Dawn, the Sun that just appears or “Pai.”

9)     Represents the heal of the ancestor’s foot, ie. “In the presence of the Ancestor to whom this offering is made.”

10)                    “Han” To hold in the mouth {pg. 48}

11)                    A pictograph of a bronze vessel used to hold food for an offering.

12)                    “Gan” Heavenly offering.

My best literal translation of the inscription/dedication on the inside of this 3,000-year-old bronze vessel would be as follows:

“On this Man’s Day and in the presence of the Ancestors at Dawn,

 the Son offers to the Heavenly Ancestors food, wine, many songs, 

and this Bronze Vessel that has been passed down for ten generations.”

There is a second dedication found on the bottom of the vessel.  They are incised in three columns x four rows for a total of 12 characters in the same style of Large Seal Script as was found on the inside of the cup.  Although some of the characters are faint or partially covered by oxidation, here is my best translation of the characters that were inscribed in three columns on the outside base of the wine cup.  Any errors in the literal translation are those of this author: {see photos # 7-9}

My best literal translation of the inscription/dedication on the inside of this 3,000-year-old bronze vessel would be as follows:

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

About 3,000 years ago, these “ear cup” style wine cups were first made of pottery, then bronze, jade, and then lacquer glaze over pottery, and finally lacquer over a wooden cup.  These imperial presentation cups were actually used in the Emperor’s court and given as gifts to selected nobles to display and/or to drink wine.  They were highly treasured and showed how much the Emperor favored the recipient.  Lacquer cups were worth much more than a cup made of bronze or even royal jade, as lacquer-glazed cups were like receiving a new, luxury automobile—perhaps even a Rolls Royce— in modern times. Lacquer objects were expensive and this cup is said to be worth ten (10) bronze cups. Lacquer objects were valued because they were time consuming to create and some used wood or fired clay as a base. 

Intended for the consumption of wine, though referred to as a cup it sits more like a small serving bowl with its oval shaped body.  In a society defined by strict hierarchy and patronage, these vessels were often presented as gifts from the Emperor and would have conveyed prestige.

This bronze wine cup has a bold, bluish-green patinated finish.  Originally cast as a spectacular ritual wine vessel for a high-ranking member of the Shang dynasty aristocracy, it is outstanding for its details, the cast inscription/dedication, the quality of its decoration, and the rich azurite-blue patina that is so coveted by collectors of ancient bronzes.   The oval shape of the wine cup recalls the shape of a hollowed-out mango. It is very beautifully preserved and is in museum quality condition! 

Typically, the Emperor paid out a large chunk of state revenue every year to provide allies and vassal states with luxury gifts, including thousands of rolls of silk and hundreds of wine cups. So, this cup is very much part of a system - it was given either as an Imperial gift or in lieu of a salary to a senior official.  One can be pretty sure that, apart from its sheer monetary value, it was intended to bestow prestige and to suggest a personal link between the recipient and the Emperor.

Bronze wine cups like this one would require the masterful work of six craftsmen and an equal number of inspectors.  The British Museum has an especially exquisite example in its permanent collection that can be viewed online.

Ear cup/bowls are some of the most iconic of all Han Dynasty vessels, indeed the British Museum chose a lacquer example as one of their objet d'art for A History of the World in 100 Objects.

Sotheby’s Auction: Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, England,  05 Nov. 2014, 10:00 AM