Western Zhou tripod

Western Zhou tripod

This relic is a tripod, a bronze vessel, and its ceramic prototype can be traced back to the Neolithic Peiligang culture. In the early Shang Dynasty (1600-1300 BC), bronze versions of the Pingzu Ding were cast. Ding is an ancient Chinese cooking or storage vessel, usually with two handles at the edge, supported by three or four columnar legs. The shape of the tripod is almost ubiquitous in China's early eras, including Neolithic ceramic vessels and Shang dynasty bronze vessels, as well as many later bronze and glazed pottery imitations. This artifact is in the collection of the Minneapolis Museum of Art.