I have to admit I was attracted to this bronze ding because the handles look like AT-AT from long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Bronze Ding with Dragon-shaped Flat Legs (Food Container) 虎耳夔龙扁足兽面纹鼎
Bronze ware | Late Shang Dynasty (c. 14th-11th centuries BC) | Dimensions – H: 30cm, D: 20cm | National Museum of China Collection, Unearthed at Wucheng. Qingjang, Jiangxi Province, 19741. 青铜器｜商后期（约公元前14世纪一前11世紀）｜高30厘米、口徑20厘米｜中国国家博物馆藏，1974年江西清江吴城出土2
Modern Jiangxi province is where Yue 越 people live during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. And this was where the ding was excavated. The shape and decorative pattern of this bronze ding have typical Shang culture characteristics while incorporating Yue culture influence.
This ding has a rotund, shallow belly, standing ears and fan feet. Each of the two handles is cast with a curly-tailed, crouching tiger 伏虎 with a large mouth and clear teeth. The feet are in the form of flanged kui dragons 夔龙.
The belly has three repeated sets of animal mask pattern 兽面纹 with the flange 扉棱 as its nose. The mask patterns are separated by cloud patterns 云雷纹 with strings of pearls as the borders.
Resting on the handles are a pair of fearsome tigers with bulging eyes, wide-opened mouths (extending to the side of the tiger) showing their teeth. The back of the tigers are decorated with cloud patterns, while the tail has scale like patterns.
The crouching tiger decoration of the ding handle 鼎耳 highlights the strong regional style of the Yue culture as well as the influence of the predominant Shang culture. The tiger is a symbol of the indigenous bronze culture of Jiangxi area in the Shang dynasty, which represents the unique local tiger worship, leading to some researchers believe that this may be the “tiger fang” state “虎方”国 recorded in oracle scripts.
The ding‘s artistic style is a departure from the formal and suppressed style of the Shang bronze wares. The crouching tiger and flat feet seem to be more relaxed and lively, allowing people to appreciate another level of the aesthetic taste of the Yue people. It does amuse one for the resemblance to AT-AT.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
- Wucheng culture 吳城文化 was a Bronze Age archaeological culture in Jiangxi, China. The initial site, spread out over 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi), was discovered at Wucheng Township, Jiangxi. Located on the Gan River, the site was first excavated in 1973. The Wucheng culture probably developed in response to cultural contacts with the expanding Erligang culture, melding Erligang influences with local traditions. The Wucheng culture was a distinct contemporary of Sanxingdui and Yinxu (Anyang). ↩︎
- 吴城遗址是江南首次发现的大规模人类居住的商代遗址，位于樟树市山前乡吴城村， 是1973年秋兴建吴城水库时发现的。遗址面积2000余平方米，文化堆积厚2至3米不等，划为七层，分三期文化。共清理房基2座， 窑址12座，灰坑55个，基葬16座。出土较完整的石器、陶器、青铜器、 玉器、牙雕等900余件，特别是陶文、原始瓷、铸铜工具的出土，是江西考古的重大发现。出土文物所反映的文化内涵，既受中原文化的强烈影响，又具有鲜明的地方特色。该遗址的发现否定了“商文化不过长江”的论断。 ↩︎
0 comments on “Treasures – Bronze Ding with Dragon-shaped Flat Legs (Shang Dynasty)”