Minneapolis Institute of Art

Shengding food vessel

China

Date

6th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This shengding (“sheng” refers to transferring cooked meat into the serving tripod) was used in ceremonial contexts. It belonged to a graduated set of seven ding commissioned by the ruler of the Xu state, a Bronze Age kingdom in east-central China. Its surface is richly decorated with interlaced dragons, incised scale patterns, and overlappingfeather-like motifs. Six high-relief kui dragons climb toward the lid, while the three sturdy legs display stylized dragon masks. Most ornamentation was produced using piece-mold casting, but the intricate, perforated dragons were separately created with the more advanced lost-wax technique. Asia

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