Hibou

This owl-shaped funerary substitute mimics a vessel used to contain fermented beverages. Several bronze vessels in the form of a bird (niaohouzun) dating from the Shang period (circa 1550 - circa 1050 BC) have been found in southern China, but these specimens are too old to establish a connection between these ancient vestiges and the Han period. With respect to this owl, Vadime and Danielle Elisseeff have referred to ancient fertility rites during which an owl-shaped goatskin filled with blood was pierced.
In the Han period, this type of vessel may have contained medicine. Owl-shaped vessels were common at the time. Generally, the figure’s removable head formed the stopper; here, the vessel opens at the top of the head. But this unusual feature does not correspond to a particular chronological evolution.
In its expressiveness achieved simply through the play of colours, the Cernuschi Museum owl constitutes one of the ceramic masterpieces from the Han dynasty.