Dimensions:Height: 40cm;  Length: 72cm

Origin: unearthed at Chuanxingshan, Xiangtan in 1981

Zun is a kind of wine vessel. There is an oval opening on the back of the boar with a cover to go with it, and the boar’s belly is hollow inside for containing wine. As the animal has two tusks on both sides of its mouth, it is not, from the point of animal evolution, a domesticated pig, but a ferocious wild boar. There are two holes through the front and the rear elbows of the boar. From a practical point of view, this vessel weighs more than 30 kilograms, with a capacity of 13 liters. So it is rather difficult for one single person to move it when filled. Through these two holes ropes can be threaded so that people can carry it. The oval opening on the back of the boar is the entrance and exit of wine. When the Zun was filled, it’s easy to spill. So a ladle would be needed for taking the wine out. A phoenix design on the cover is not only a kind of decoration but also a practical handle. The body of the boar is covered with designs of scales, dragons and beast masks. This is the only boar-shaped vessel among existing Shang Dynasty bronzes. Some archaeologists believe imitative animal designs in the period of Shang and Zhou have an ideographic function and symbolic meaning, which reflect people’s original religious concepts in artistic ways. It is a kind of communicative medium between people and gods, which magically play the role of blessing and avoiding improbity in ancient China.