Tripod Food Container (Ding) with Cloud Pattern

2nd century BC

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Used as a ritual container for food, the ding tripod was one of the most important status symbols in ancient China. The present example reflects the Han trend of using lacquer instead of bronze for making such vessels. It further exemplifies the high-quality lacquerware produced in official workshops in Sichuan during the early Western Han. It bears a mark reading “made in the city of Chengdu,” the capital of Sichuan.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

西汉漆鼎
Title: Tripod Food Container (Ding) with Cloud Pattern
Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Date: 2nd century BC
Culture: China
Medium: Lacquer over wood
Dimensions: H. 9 7/16 in. (24 cm); Diam. 9 3/4 in. (24.7 cm)
Classification: Lacquer
Credit Line: Lent by Hunan Provincial Museum
Curatorial Department: Asian Art