CHUEH

Pinyin Jue, type of Chinese bronze vessel produced during the Shang (18th-12th century Bc ) and early Chou (1111-c. 900 BC) dynasties. It is a small pitcherlike container for wine with an especially elegant and dynamic shape. The cheh is much like the chia (q.v.) except for the rim, which has been drawn into a large, projecting, U-shaped spout (with capped pillars at the base) on one side and a pointed tail, or handle, flaring out from the opposite side. A t'ao-t'ieh (q.v.), or monster mask, is commonly found on either side of the body, much like the chia. There may be certain crude prototypes for the cheh in Neolithic (c. 3000-1500 BC) pottery, but generally it is found in developed form only in the bronze ritual vessels of the Shang and early Chou.