Vessels like this – standing upon legs with a lid and two facing handles – are one of the most important shapes used in many Chinese ritual bronzes.
In Chinese history and culture, possession of one or more ancient dings is often associated with power and dominion over the land. Therefore, the ding is often used as an implicit symbolism for power.
Acquired from a collector in Toronto, Canada.
I selected many of these vessels from a reference book of ancient bronzes (Chinese Bronzes by Paul Hamlyn, 1966). I found a collection of bronze vessels whose craftsmen were meticulous in capturing the era and style. All of these vessels were handmade in China in the mid-1900s. . . . almost museum quality.
For the Serious Collector.