This owl-form vessel is based on a Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BC) prototype, xiaozun, or owl-shaped zun, which served as a wine-storage or presentation jar and was used in ceremonies honoring the spirit of a deceased ancestor. The choice of fashioning the wine vessel in the form of an owl has an important historical significance. According to Liu Dunyang in Ye yu meng zhi shen de chixiao (The owl: Deity of night and dreams), in Collected Papers of Liu Duanyuan, Beijing, 2012, pp. 159-171, Shang people perceived the owl as the god of night and dreams as well as the messenger between human and spirit worlds, on account of its silent flight and nocturnal hunting.

The softwood base made for this owl zun is noteworthy, as it bears numerous lengthy inscriptions. An inscription written by Xiang Yuanbian (1525-1590), the pioneer Ming-dynasty connoisseur and collector, can be found on the top of the base, which deciphers the mark cast in the owl vessel. This inscription concludes that “…[this ceremonial vessel] is of the highest prestige.” On the reverse of the base, an inscription followed by the signature of Zhang Fengyi (1527-1613), a Jiajing-period scholar and painter, further annotates each character shown in the cast mark. One narrow side of this base is carved with an inscription reading Wang Jizhi bai guan (respectively appreciated by Wang Jizhi). Wang Jizhi (1450-1524) is a documented scholar-official in the Hanlin Academy.