This large vessel is known as a fou or lei. The most distinctive features in this vessel shown here are its buffalo-head rings and its swirling and intertwining design. These rings were intended for hanging ropes and the vessel was used for storing wine. Wine drinking had been a crucial part of early Chinese civilisation since the Shang dynasty. The intertwining design covering the main register of the body is called panlong wen (intertwining dragon motif) or panchi wen. This is actually a variation of the kuilong (dragon) motif and was particularly popular during the Spring and Autumn (722-481 BCE) and Warring States period (481-256 BCE).
