is lacking on the bottom register, but more innovative in design in the lid and upper registers. In the Qi Guang vessel from approximately the same time period, the decoration has been compartmentalized and unified in style, which utilizes conventional motifs of bird, dragon, and other animal imagery. Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1045-771 BCE) See Also: Western Zhou The Western Zhou Dynasty is the final period in which guang vessels are known to have been made, due widely to the Ritual Revolution which occurred in the late Western Zhou dynasty, ultimately reducing the number of wine vessels being made. Before this disappearance, the guang saw changes in form, such as the ovular foot being sometimes replaced with four legs. The decoration also becomes more refined, yet still using animal and fantastic imagery. Casting Early Chinese bronze vessels were cast using the piece-mold process. This process involved the artist forming the mold in pieces from clay, then connecting them to make one overall vessel form. With this method, the decoration on a vessel's surface had to be incised into the clay in reverse and negative. This means that images that would be raised on the surface of the metal would have to become depressions in the clay mold. The void inside the mold is then filled with molten metal, creating the positive. In contrast, the process of lost-wax casting allows an artisan to create a wax model of the desired object. The molten metal takes the place of the wax when cast. Frequently it was necessary in the casting of large vessels to cast the main portion, include it in the construction of another mold, and then cast protrusions—such as the guang's handle—onto that piece. guang (觥)vessel. Inscriptions From late Shang to early Zhou dynasty, the number of characters per inscription increased on these bronze vessels. These inscriptions recorded very important events (such as sacrifices), gifts by a king to his officials, praise accorded to ancestors, records for exchange/sale land, and political marriages to make stronger relationships. Historical and cultural references After the "Ritual Revolution", some of the wine vessels were no longer in use in Western Zhou dynasty. The Guang vessel were only popular in Late Shang to Early Western Zhou dynasty. Notes Sources Allen, Anthony J."Allen's Authentication of Ancient Chinese Bronzes".Walter Hirsh and Associates. December 31, 2001 Asian Art Museum. Bronze Vessels of Ancient China in the Avery Brundage