GUANGXU PERIOD (1875-1908)

The current vessel was modeled after a zun vessel of the same name illustrated in the Xuanhe bo gu tu. For a discussion on Xuanhe bo gu tu (Fig 1.), see lot 1602. The Shang xiong Ding zun recorded in Xuanhe bo gu tu has a handle that has not been reproduced on the current vessel, and it has the same four-character inscription on its cover and on its base reading xiong Ding da X (elder brother Ding), revealing that the vessel was cast by Ding's younger brother. The vessel was thus interpreted to have been either cast by Tai Geng, the seventh ruler of the Shang dynasty for his elder brother Wo Ding, the sixth ruler of the dynasty, or Wai Ren, the twelfth ruler, for his elder brother Zhong Ding, the eleventh ruler.