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Food serving vessel (dui)

ca. 4th century BCE
Not on view
The lid of this food container is embellished with three animals that function as feet when the lid is inverted as a tray. Paired dragons and rolling curls decorate the vessel surface. The cast depressions in the design are filled in with a black pigment made of bone char and lacquer that enhances the contrast between the composition and background. The vessel’s sumptuous decor is characteristic of late Eastern Zhou bronzes, which by this period were seen as symbols of wealth and status rather than simply paraphernalia for solemn rituals.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 戰國 青銅敦
  • Title: Food serving vessel (dui)
  • Period: Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period (476–221 BCE)
  • Date: ca. 4th century BCE
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Bronze inlaid with composition of bone black and lacquer
  • Dimensions: H. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm); Diam. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of Dorothy Graham Bennett, 2006
  • Object Number: 2006.117a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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