Date: Late Spring and Autumn (early 6th century - 476 BC)
Dimensions: Diameter of mouth 17.5 cm, Height 20.7 cm
Weight: 1,800 g
Material: Bronze
Unearthed from Liyu Cun, Hunyuan County, Shanxi Province in 1923

• Object Type：
  • BRONZE
• Location：
  • Ancient Chinese Bronze Gallery
• Tag：
  • dou food vessel hunting spring and autumn bronze

Dou is mainly used for pickles and meat paste, or rice. People began to use Dou in as early as the late Shang dynasty but this kind only became popular in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods. 
The copper inlaid decorations of the vessel are two sets of hunting scenes on the lid and the body. Among the fleeing animals, some hunters are either ready to shoot arrows, or cast spears, while others are stabbing swords. Groups of animals are running desperately and some of them are already shot with several arrows. The whole pattern vividly records the specific hunting situations of the ancient nobility, regarded as a masterpiece of bronze marquetry. Decorations of human figures only appeared in the late Spring and Autumn, depicting scenes including banqueting, archery, harvesting mulberry leaves, hunting, wrestling, besieging cities and water battles. 
Bronze marquetry started from the late Spring and Autumn. Bronzes themed with hunting design were a new subject at that time. It was closer to nature and life by breaking from the patterned features and mysterious colour of previous bronze design. This was also a reflection of Chinese ancient painting art in bronzes.