The bronzes used for ancient Chinese sacrifices were generally made in their entirety, so that the tombs of the dignitaries and nobles were filled with sacrifices dedicated to ancestors.
Each set of ceremonial vessels contains a large number of bronzes of different shapes, each with a specific name. Here are some of the more common ancient bronze shapes:
Late Shang Dynasty Bronze Small Ti Liang, 11.5 cm high
卣 (yǒu): A ceremonial vessel with an oval shape and a lifting beam on the top, usually with a lid.
Late Shang Dynasty Bronze Gluttony Pattern Fang Yi, height 22.8 cm
Fang Yi (yí): Wine ceremonial vessel with a rectangular cone belly and a diagonal top-shaped lid.
Late Shang Dynasty A pair of bamboo trees, 31 cm high
Gū (觚): A ceremonial vessel that resembles a deity, but is more slender in shape.
Late Shang/Early Western Zhou Bronze Cup, 33 cm high
Hé :盉 (盉): A lidded wine ceremonial vessel with bipedal or three-legged vessels with a slanted spout on the round shoulder, opposite the ring ears.
Jug: Classic pear-shaped wine container, sometimes with a lid.
Early Western Zhou Dynasty Gezu Jigui, 38 cm high
Guǐ (簋): Ancient eating vessel with a flat round belly with high feet, a pair of ring ears usually engraved with animal head ornaments.
In the early Spring and Autumn Period, Ruber healed his father's mane
Lì (鬲): Ancient cooking utensils for cooking rice, there are ceramic bristles and bronze bristles. Bronze bristles were originally made from pottery already available in the Neolithic age. Its shape is generally extravagant (the mouth edge is tilted outward), with three hollow feet, which is convenient for cooking and heating.
In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Ge Zuo was 21.5 cm high
Many standard bronzes are square, including Square Zun, Square Pot and Square Ding. Square vessels were of special significance to the ancient magnates and were even rarer.
Vessel inscriptions from the late Shang Dynasty and early Western Zhou Dynasty (11th to 10th centuries BC) are simpler, while bronze inscriptions from Western Zhou (9th to 8th centuries BC) are longer and more complex. Bronzes inscribed with inscriptions are rarer and more valuable.