Ding (T'ing) (Ritual Cooking Vessel)
Date13th - 12th century B.C.E.
MediumCast bronze
DimensionsOverall (w/ handles): 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Overall (w/out handles): 6 9/16 × 6 1/4 in. (16.7 × 15.9 cm)
Overall (w/out handles): 6 9/16 × 6 1/4 in. (16.7 × 15.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Professor and Mrs. Herrlee G. Creel
Object number1986.328
Terms
- Anyang (Shang style)
Object TypeMetalwork
On View
Not on viewAs the embodiment of li—a repertoire of rules and codes—bronze vessels are the defining ceremonial objects of early China. Intended for use in the rituals designed to venerate ancestral spirits, vessels such as the ding tripods seen in this case served as the central accessories in both religious and mortuary practices. While the use of ritual objects in bronze spans several thousand years, both their production and usage changed over time. During the Shang period (1600–1040 BCE), bronzes were produced using separate ceramic molds, called piece-cast molding. By the Eastern Zhou period (770–256 BCE), the lost wax process allowed for new technical innovations and increased production.
Furthermore, the significance of the so-called taotie, or ogre mask motif, the preferred decoration on ritual bronzes, also shifted over time. Earlier vessels are noted for a more pronounced depiction of the taotie composed of two opposing dragons in profile spread along the central band adorning the body of the vessel, while this motif on later bronzes tends to be highly abstracted, even unrecognizable.
Furthermore, the significance of the so-called taotie, or ogre mask motif, the preferred decoration on ritual bronzes, also shifted over time. Earlier vessels are noted for a more pronounced depiction of the taotie composed of two opposing dragons in profile spread along the central band adorning the body of the vessel, while this motif on later bronzes tends to be highly abstracted, even unrecognizable.
14th - 13th century B.C.E.
late 13th - early 12th century B.C.E.
circa late 6th - early 5th century B.C.E.
late 13th - early 12th century B.C.E.
circa 1000 B.C.E.
circa 13th - 11th century B.C.E.
Yu, Zhiding [Yü, Chih-ting]
18 - 19th century
circa 1st century