Jia (vessel)

A jia is a ritual vessel type found in both pottery and bronze forms; it was used to hold libations of wine for the veneration of ancestors.

It was made either with four legs or in the form of a tripod and included two pillar-like protrusions on the rim that were possibly used to suspend the vessel over heat.

Early Chinese scholars extended their traditional beliefs as regarded the symbolic meanings of the designs and motifs.

The Western historian Max Loehr has argued that the designs and motifs are ornamental and have no inherent symbolic meaning.

There are no extant texts or sources contemporary with the creation of the Shang bronzes that offer descriptions or explanations of the symbolic meanings of the Jia vessels.

These bronze vessels were not for everyday use, as the ancients typically used lacquerware or earthenware for eating and drinking.

Style I is classified by thin thread relief designs, they are described as being light and airy and consist of simple forms.

Style III has more of a curvilinear design where only the eyes of the figures protrude and uniform like patterns appear.

The most common form consisted of two parts, a skirt and an upper section that flares out at the top.

This form was developed based on older versions of the jia that which had hollow conical legs that opened to the lower bowl section of the vessel.

These hollow legs were replaced by small slits in the early Anyang period, this allowed for bracing the core against the outer parts of the mold.

The inscription Yayi appears frequently in late Shang bronzes; it is possibly a clan identification symbol.

Loehr further states that when read together it appears to mean, "for libations for (father or ancestor) Yi.

The Erlitou site shows Shang culture at its primitive stage, retaining apparently Neolithic features.

Bronze vessels shared uniform styles across regions while later during Anyang phase outlying areas were diverging from the artistic tradition of central North China.

So did bronze-casting technology, laying the basis for provincial bronze-using cultures distinguishable from the metropolitan style.

A rich corpus of oracle inscriptions from Wu Ding's court attests frequent sacrificial observances, during which the bronze vessels would have been essential.

During the middle to late Western Zhou period, changes in the ritual vessel types began to arise.