Dimensions: Height 16 cm Wide 22 cm Depth 18 cm

Weight: 1746 grams

Cast in bronze, this ritual ding vessel is of compressed globular form, supported on three short, tapering legs and fitted with a domed, detachable cover. The body is flanked by a pair of upright loop handles, while the cover is surmounted by small pierced lugs, reflecting the functional and symbolic vocabulary of early Chinese ritual bronzes. The surface retains a rich, uneven malachite and cuprite patina, bearing witness to great age and long burial, with areas of mineral accretion consistent with excavated Han-period bronzes.

The ding was among the most important ritual vessels in ancient China, traditionally used for the preparation and offering of food during ancestral rites and state ceremonies. By the Han dynasty, such bronzes continued to embody authority, legitimacy, and cosmological order, even as their forms became somewhat simplified compared to the highly ornamented Shang and Zhou prototypes. The present example reflects this evolution: restrained in decoration yet powerful in silhouette, emphasizing mass, balance, and ritual presence rather than dense surface patterning.

Ding vessels were closely associated with rank and status, their possession traditionally regulated by sumptuary conventions. In funerary contexts, they served not only as ritual implements but also as symbols of continuity between the earthly and ancestral realms, ensuring sustenance and protection in the afterlife.

Condition:
Wear, burial encrustation, and surface corrosion consistent with age; the cover detached as intended. Overall well preserved with an attractive archaeological patina.

A compelling example of a Han dynasty ritual bronze, embodying the enduring symbolic power of the ding as one of the foundational forms of Chinese ceremonial art.

For lots marked with (R), a 19% VAT is added to the combined hammer price and commission. This VAT is waived for:

- Private buyers outside the EU who officially export the items.
- Businesses inside the EU holding a valid VAT number, exporting to their home country.

Proper export documentation is required to waive the VAT