ZHOU DYNASTY

Details

An archaic bronze tripod food vessel, ding
Zhou dynasty
Raised on three columnar legs, the trilobed body cast with three taotie masks with protruding eyes, reserved on leiwen grounds, a pair of upright arched loop handles rising from the rim and with a pictograph cast on the interior, some repair
17 cm. high

Special notice

Christie's charges a Buyer's premium calculated at 23.205% of the hammer price for each lot with a value up to €110,000. If the hammer price of a lot exceeds €110,000 then the premium for the lot is calculated at 23.205% of the first €110,000 plus 11.9% of any amount in excess of €110,000. Buyer's Premium is calculated on this basis for each lot individually.

Lot Essay

The tripod shape of the ding can be traced back to pottery prototypes created in the Neolithic period. These vessels first appeared in bronze as ritual food containers during the Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1100 BC), assuming the classic form of the round body supported on three columnar legs, though decorated in widely divergent styles.

More from CHINESE AND JAPANESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART

View All