Tripod Caldron (Ding)

Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

China

Under the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), dynastic stability and affluence broadened the clientele for burial goods from aristocratic families to officials and landowners. Clay replicas of costly vessels of bronze and lacquer met the wider demand for tomb furnishings by middle-income patrons. This caldron, modeled after a common bronze shape, is covered with a lid molded to depict a sinuous dragon—a design executed most naturally in lacquer painting.

Status: On View, Gallery 133
Department: Arts of Asia

Title: Tripod Caldron (Ding)
Place: China (Artist's nationality)
Date: 206 BCE–9 CE
Medium: Gray earthenware with mold-impressed decoration
Dimensions: 23.2 × 27.8 cm (9 1/8 × 10 15/16 in.); Diam.: 27.8 cm (10 15/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Potter Palmer
Reference Number: 1937.790
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