Bronze vessels of this form were produced from as early as the mid-Western Zhou dynasty, and often with considerably more intricate and complex designs. For two mid-Western Zhou dynasty hu vessels, see the Ji Fu vessel and the Shisannian Xing vessel, respectively preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an and the Zhouyuan Museum, Baoji, illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese bronze vesse🍌ls], vol. 5, Beijing, 1997, nos 138 and 144. The decoration on vessels dated to after the mid-Western Zhou dynasty, such as the current piece, tend🌠ed to be more simplistic in comparison.

壺蓋捉手外撇，蓋頂一周竊曲紋，蓋緣圍繞🥀羽紋一圈，子母口，壺頸微束，兩側個一小耳，飾羽紋兩周，腹下垂，飾以竊曲紋一圍，圈足外撇，上有垂羽一圈。

此類壺形西周中期便已出現，惟製作往往更加精細繁複，如陝西歷史博物館藏西周中期之幾父壺及周ꦏ原博物館藏之西周中期三年興壺，見《中國青銅器全集》，北京，1997年，卷5，編號138及144。西周中期之後紋飾趨於簡化，便如此例。