AN ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL, GUIWestern Zhou DynastyCrisply cast with a rounded body, everted rim, centered by beast masks in high relief and flanked by a pair of loop handles issuing from horned animal heads, decorated around the exterior with confronted birds with long curly tails raised against aleiwen ground, cover, stand and Japanese wood box.14cm (5 1/2in) high; 26cm (10 1/4in) wideProvenance: 西周 青銅簋Provenance:Manno Art Museum, OsakaCollection of Shieidou, Kobe, by repute來源：大阪萬野美術館舊藏傳神戶志永堂繼藏Vividly decorated with confronted birds with long curly tails raised against aleiwen ground, this gui is characteristic of bronze casting in the Western Zhou period (c.1046-771 BC). The shape of this vessel, with its rounded body, everted rim and animal-head handles, also represents one the most popular forms of the time. A similar vessel but of smaller size was excavated in 1957 from Zhaoyuanpo, Chang'an, Shaanxi province, now in the National Museum of China, Beijing, illustrated inZhongguo qingtongqi quanji [Aplete Collection of Chinese Ancient Bronzes], vol.5, Western Zhou 1, Beijing, 1996, pl.61. Gui were used to hold cooked rice or millet in ritual ceremonies.此簋屬西周典型，應是當時貴族階層所用之物。雷紋地上飾長尾鳥紋，鼓腹、侈口、獸首耳。比較一例，1957年陝西長安兆元坡出土，現存於北京中國歷史博物館, 載於《中國青銅器全集》，卷5，西周1，北京，1996年，圖版 61。簋，盛飯器具，常用於祭祀。