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How did bronze vessels influence Chinese pottery shapes during the Zhou dynasty?

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Neolithic Banshan pottery: funerary urn — Chinese pottery Painted Pottery funerary urn, Neolithic Banshan phase, c. 3000 bce, from Yangshao, Henan province, China; in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm. Height 13.2 inches (33.5 cm).

During the Zhou dynasty, bronze vessels exerted a significant influence on the development of Chinese pottery, primarily by serving as the aesthetic and structural models for ceramic forms.1

Potters frequently looked to the sophisticated shapes of contemporary bronze vessels to inspire their own work. This influence is evident in the production of various ceramic pieces, where the forms were often directly copied from bronze counterparts. For example, the dou—a stemmed offering dish—was a prominent vessel type during this period that reflected these stylistic trends.12

The relationship between the two media was so pronounced that potters even attempted to replicate the appearance of metalwork on their wares. In some instances, they used lacquer inlaid with shell disks to give pottery the look of bejeweled metal. This practice of drawing inspiration from bronze continued into subsequent eras, such as the Han dynasty, where common ceramic forms like the hu vase were explicitly modeled after bronze vessels of the same name, sometimes even incorporating relief ornaments taken directly from bronze originals.21