Page 29 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

Extremely common in pottery during the neolithic period, the ding 鼎
was first cast in bronze at the end of the Xia 夏 dynasty during the 3
rd
th
th
th
and 4 stages of the Erlitou cultural 二里頭文化 period (circa 17 – 16
centuries B.C.). The earliest ding 鼎 is composed of a flat- bottomed
bowl with thin walls, topped by two vertical handles and supported by
three triangular and hollow legs.
At the beginning of the Shang 商 dynasty, during the Erligang 二里崗
period (circa 17 /16 – 14 centuries B.C.), ding 鼎 are very thinly cast
th
th
th
and have a deep, rounded body, two small vertical handles, and either
hollow cylindrical legs or, extremely rarely, flattened legs.
th
th
During the Yinxu 殷墟 (Anyang 安陽) period (circa 14 – 12 /11
th
centuries B.C.), the vessel’s body grows more rounded to become a
complete round bowl shape, its vertical handles become thicker, and
its legs become cylindrical and full-bodied. In exceptional cases, the
ding’s 鼎 legs are flat in the shape of simple blades or shaped like
stylized dragons or birds, or, extremely rarely, like tigers. The animals
on such legs are always shown in profile.

During the Zhou 周 dynasty (circa 1100 – 256 B.C.), the ding 鼎 is the
most popular bronze vessel and becomes more massive and less deep;
its vertical handles are now fixed on the sides of its body and not on the
rim as in earlier periods.
At the beginning of the Zhou 周 dynasty, i.e. the Western Zhou 西
周 dynasty, when much emphasis was placed on social etiquette and

Ding, Spring and Autumn period (circa 770 – 476 B.C.)
Height: 30.5 cm, diameter: 31 cm – Meiyintang Collection n° 81.
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