Gong with lid [V-374a&b]
Henan region, central China
Early to Middle Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1100-771 BC)

This elegantly simple gong was used to serve wine. The general shape of the head with its broad muzzle suggests a water buffalo rising from a pond. The bottle-shaped horns, common on dragons of this period, indicate that the creature is supernatural.

Ding [V-116]
Central China
Early Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1100-771 BC)

A ding is a ritual version of a cooking pot. The basic form of the bulbous body and columnar legs suggests abundance and stability. The pendent triangles on the body enclose stylised cicadas, a Chinese symbol of rebirth. This combination of themes symbolizes concern for the well being of one’s ancestors, a cardinal virtue in ancient Chinese culture.

Hu [V-209]
Shanxi-Henan region, north-central China
Eastern Zhou dynasty, late Spring and Autumn period (530-476 BC)

This wine vessel, which once had a lid, is decorated with a knotted rope grid on the body suggesting the slings used by the peoples of the Asian grasslands to secure vessels and other containers. Fragments of rope-pattern molds found at the great foundry site of Houma in Shanxi province, China, show that this steppe motif was adopted by Chinese bronze casters. Artistic influence flowed both ways between the steppes and China.