A well cast bronze food vessel of 'ding' type

Estimated Value:

6.000 € - 10.000 €

Result:

7.770 € incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, first half Western Zhou dynasty
H. 21,2/ B. 18 cm, Gewicht: 1,788 kg
The spherical body is flanked by two upright handles and stands on three cylindrical legs with a decorative band under the rim. The bronze is covered with an attractive olive-coloured patina which is encrusted in places.
Formerly from the Bauer collection, Southern Germany, according to tradition acquired in Tokyo in the 1950s, sold at Nagel Auctions, 2.11.2006, lot 1000 and acquired by the present owner
Ritual bronze vessels such as the present one were among the most valuable and technically sophisticated objects produced in early China. They were reserved for the most powerful families of the time and contained offerings made to the ancestors during rituals. These vessels were often inscribed with the national and regional affiliation of the ancestors and their extended family. The spirits of the ancestors were honored and remembered through the use of these precious vessels. It was believed that they would bring blessings to their descendants, while the use of the vessels also showed the living the power and wealth of their owners. Compare with a related but slightly larger archaic bronze ding from the Western Zhou dynasty sold at Christie's New York on March 4, 2011, lot 1246, and a ding published in Jessica Rawson 'Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections', Vol II b, Cambridge 1990, no. 15 - Few small repairs

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