A bronze vessel of the 'ding' type

Description:

China, late Shang/ early Western Zhou dynasty (1046 - 771 BC)
H. 24,2/ D. 18,3 cm
The bulbous body rests on three cylindrical legs, the rim is decorated with two upright handle rings; the sides are decorated with a frieze of taotie masks on a leiwen ground between raised borders. Inside is a two-line moulded clan mark with the inscription, perhaps Fu (父畐), indicating the original owner of the vessel. The surface is covered with a rich, colourful patina of malachite and cuprite encrustation. Weight: 2.550 kg
From the collection of the chemist, engineer and director of Merck & Co. Heinrich Georg Johann Harms (3 Sept. 1906-28 June 1975) and his wife Eva Harms (10 Nov. 1905-13 Oct. 1998), largely collected in Shanghai between 1935 and 1942
Cf. a similar ding in the collection of the Palace Museum, see 'Bronze Ritual Vessels and Musical Instruments - The complete collection of the Palace Museum', 2006, no. 3, p. 5 - Partially old restored minor damages