Art and Culture in Shang China

This ritual vase, known as the Tigress, provides a good example of the high quality and enigmatic nature of Shang bronze work. It is beautifully crafted, visually interesting, and bursting with animal motifs. Lizards crawl up the tigress’s legs, animal heads attach the sides of the handle to the vase, snakes are etched into the tigress’s face, and a deer is perched atop the tigress’s head. The vase also includes a figure of a human child whose head is at least partially inside the tigress’s mouth (see detail). As your textbook makes clear, there is no scholarly consensus on how to interpret pieces such as this. As you examine the vase, think about what it suggests to you about Shang China. If you had to speculate, what meanings would you attach to the form and decoration of the Tigress?

READING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS