Fang ding (“square tripod” cooking vessel) with taotie mask and gui dragon design / Artist Unknown, China
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1961/2.82
- Title
- Fang ding (“square tripod” cooking vessel) with taotie mask and gui dragon design
- Artist
- Artist Unknown, China
- Medium and Support
- cast bronze with malachite patina
- Object Creation Date
- 12th century BCE
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Henan (province)
- Anyang
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Henan (province)
- Creation Place 4
- Anyang
- Inscription
- Inscribed on interior side of vessel: "Father Chi," "Chariot"
- Dimensions
- 26.3 cm x 19.3 cm x 15.6 cm (10 3/8 in. x 7 5/8 in. x 6 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 12th century BCE
- Primary Object Classification
- Metalwork
- Primary Object Type
- vessel
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Physical Description
- square ding (ting) tripod with four legs, the body as well as the upper portion of the four legs is decorated with "t'ao-t'ieh" zoomorphic design. One of the leg was recast after the rest of the body has been completed, thus had a less refined craftmanship and joint line at its base. The double loop handles are also decorated with zoomorphic design. A group of three inscription is cast on the upper portion of the interior wall, which reads as Fu (father) Ji (day name), followed by an symbolic representation of a chariot, possibly a clan emblem. The interior is plain, the animal bone remains attached to the bottom and variations in patina patterns with a line running through the middle indicates that the vessel was once filled with cooked meat offerings, presumably in a Shang elite burial in late second millennium B.C.E.
- Subject Matter
- known as the ding tripod for cooking and presentation of food, usually animal meat, in ancestral rituals of early China. The narrow upper register of the body of the vessel is decorated with Kui dragons, face-to-face around the top. The dragons have open mouths, long thin bodies that end in curled tails. The body of the vessel is decorated with tao-tie masks with staring eyes and above which are broad, curving horns. The nose is formed by the raised flanges that divide each mask in half. At the bottom is the open, hook-like jaws. The upper sections of the legs and the two loop handles are also decorated with zoomorphic designs of masks and dragons.
- Secondary Keywords
- containers
- containers by form
- culinary equipment
- culinary equipment by function
- culinary equipment for preparing and cooking food
- equipment
- equipment by context
- events
- objects we use
- people and culture
- tools and equipment
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 865 x 999
- File Size
- 79 KB
- Record
- 1961/2.82
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1961-sl-2.82/1961_2.82.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1961-SL-2.82
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Fang ding (“square tripod” cooking vessel) with taotie mask and gui dragon design; Artist Unknown, China." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1961-sl-2.82/1961_2.82.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 30, 2025.
