museum treasure 140 shaanxi history china gilded copper bathing vessel

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$[Museum treasure 140] Shaanxi History Museum,Xi\'an,China. Gilded Copper Bathing Vessel Royalty Free Stock Photo$

The Gilded Copper Bathing Vessel in the collection of the Shaanxi History Museum is a precious bronze artifact from the Western Han Dynasty. This vessel stands 36.5 cm tall, with a mouth diameter of 15.5 cm, an abdominal depth of 28.3 cm, and weighs 9.87 kilograms. It features a constricted mouth, square lip, bulging belly, and ring foot, with two ears on the upper abdomen in the form of ring handles with animal-head decorations. The entire vessel is gilded, with exquisite patterns. The body is divided into eight melon-shaped sections by eight silver triangular concave bands, which are inscribed with texts such as "Empress Dowager's Household," "Yuancheng Household," and "Bathing Room." These inscriptions indicate that the vessel originally belonged to the Empress Dowager and was later bestowed upon her daughter's household. The bathing vessel, used for holding water during bathing, reflects the opulence of the Han Dynasty nobility.