KUANG

Pinyin Guang, type of Chinese bronze vessel produced during the Shang (18th12th century Bc ) and early Chou (1111c. 900 BC) periods. It is a serving vessel for wine, with an unusually fine harmony between shape and decoration. The kuang looks much like a sauce server, with a large spout extending from one end of the oval-section body and a vertical handle at the other end. All vessels classified as kuang properly have a lid that covers the entire top of the vessel, including the spout. The spout end of the lid typically has a bovine or feline head, the opposite end, an owl or birdlike mask. These elements harmonize with the decoration of the body, which may suggest the organic completion of the animals or provide complementary, zoomorphic motifssuch as the monster mask, or t'ao-t'iehcharacteristic of the bronze art of the Shang and early Chou.