Gui food vessel, 11th century BCE, 11 5/16 × 13 3/4 × 9 1/16 in., 16.1 lb. (28.73 × 34.93 × 23.02 cm, 7.3 kg)7 5/8 × 7 1/2 in. (19.37 × 19.05 cm) (object part, foot), Bronze, China, 11th century BCE, This gui demonstrates the inventiveness with which Western Zhou artisans adapted Shang forms. The main body is a standard gui with a deep bowl, while the looped handles on either side of the body are innovatively rendered in the form of an elephants head and trunk. Furthermore, the vessel is elevated by a high, square base. On the main body, the flanges form the centerlines of the familiar bodied taotie. On the base it is the same motif except for the central line, here a slight ridge instead of a flange. The handles, which combine a crested elephant head with a birds body, are the most remarkable feature of the vessel. The bow displays the wings of a bird in relief, and the projection at the bottom contains the birds curled tail and its feet descending almost to rest on the tail. The e