AFTER A CHINESE PROTOTYPE, LATE 19TH CENTURY

This highly unusual English wine cooler is based on a Chinese prototype for a ding. Dings first appeared during the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1100 B.C.). Like other ceremonial food vessels, they were for the offering of food to the ancestors and buried with their owners. An intriguing mix of Eastern and Western decoration, this piece would have been made following the re-opening of trade in the 19th century when Europe’s fascination with Asia was revived and reflected in all aspects of Western interior decoration.