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Ritual bronze tripod found in vault
March 22, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
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DA Ke Ding, a bronze tripod bowl dating from the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC), is a significant piece in the Shanghai Museum collection. The ritual vessel, 93.1 centimeters in height and 201.5 kilograms in weight, was discovered in 1890 in an underground vault in Famen Town, in Shaanxi Province's Fufeng County.
Tripod and quadrupod bronze vessels were widely used in ancient China for ritual ceremonies and continue to be used as official gifts. The shape of Shanghai Museum resembles a ding -- the Chinese word for tripod or quadrupod bronze vessels.
An inscription inside Da Ke Ding reveals it was made for an aristocrat named Ke in honor of his grandfather. Ke was a court official in charge of communicating the king's decrees.
The two paragraphs written in 290 words also mention that Ke was bestowed with his official title along with ritual garments, property and slaves by the King Xiao of Zhou. The language was terse and the script formal, providing information about the social development of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
After its long period underground, the tripod was brought to light at a time when China's last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911), was crumbling. Pan Zuying, a minister of the Qing government, paid a high price for the tripod and kept it at his home in Suzhou.
When the war against Japanese troop's aggression began in the late 1930s, the Pan family buried Da Ke Ding and other valuables in a pit.
The Japanese occupation authorities had learned about the item's existence and searched the Pan house several times without success.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Pan family donated Da Ke Ding with 200 other antiques to the government, a noble act that was commended by the Ministry of Culture. In 1958 this magnificent bronze vessel made its debut at the Shanghai Museum. It has since helped hundreds of thousands of visitors appreciate the many aspects of China's ancient heritage.
Tripod and quadrupod bronze vessels were widely used in ancient China for ritual ceremonies and continue to be used as official gifts. The shape of Shanghai Museum resembles a ding -- the Chinese word for tripod or quadrupod bronze vessels.
An inscription inside Da Ke Ding reveals it was made for an aristocrat named Ke in honor of his grandfather. Ke was a court official in charge of communicating the king's decrees.
The two paragraphs written in 290 words also mention that Ke was bestowed with his official title along with ritual garments, property and slaves by the King Xiao of Zhou. The language was terse and the script formal, providing information about the social development of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
After its long period underground, the tripod was brought to light at a time when China's last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911), was crumbling. Pan Zuying, a minister of the Qing government, paid a high price for the tripod and kept it at his home in Suzhou.
When the war against Japanese troop's aggression began in the late 1930s, the Pan family buried Da Ke Ding and other valuables in a pit.
The Japanese occupation authorities had learned about the item's existence and searched the Pan house several times without success.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Pan family donated Da Ke Ding with 200 other antiques to the government, a noble act that was commended by the Ministry of Culture. In 1958 this magnificent bronze vessel made its debut at the Shanghai Museum. It has since helped hundreds of thousands of visitors appreciate the many aspects of China's ancient heritage.
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