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Lot Essay
The three seated animal-form protomes on the cover also function as supports when the cover is inverted. A very similar ding and cover dated to the early Warring States period from Hebei province, and now in the Wenwuguanlisuo, Langting city, Hebei province, is illustrated in Zhongguo Qingtongqi Quanji - 9 - Dong Zhou (3), Beijing, 1998, no. 98. Animal or bird-form protomes of this type can be also seen on the covers of several ding of 6th century BC date illustrated by J. So in Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1995, pp. 114-17, no. 9 and figs. 9.2 and 9.3. The first, in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, and an example excavated at Shanxi province, fig. 9.3, have similar tall slender legs, but ring handles rather than the upright handles of the present vessel. The latter type of upright handles similarly cast on top with taotie masks can be seen on a pan excavated at Hebei province and dated to 2nd half of the 6th century BC, which is illustrated in a line drawing, p. 195, fig. 28.3.