Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The Barlow Collection

A select catalogue of the Barlow collection of Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades by the University of Sussex (published Sussex, 2006).

The Barlow Collection by the University of Sussex

Publications online: 456 objects

Reference URL

Actions

Send e-mail

Contact us about this object

Send e-mail

Send to a friend

Ritual food vessel, or ding, with taotie mask pattern

  • Literature notes

    The piece has a hemispherical bowl with an everted angular rim with two arched handles, and is raised on three flat, curved, blade-shaped legs. The bowl is decorated with a band of taotie design with three masks centred on and separated by raised flanges, each rendered in low relief with eyes, ears and fangs and the body stylized into scrollwork with a claw identifiable, all on a scrollwork (leiwen) ground. The bronze is thickly encrusted with green patina. A clan sign depicting a halberd enclosed in a cross-shaped surround in the form of the character ya is cast below the rim inside.
  • Details

    Associated place
    Asia China (place of creation)
    Date
    11th - 10th century BC (1100 - 901 BC)
    Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1050 - c. 771 BC)
    Material and technique
    bronze
    Dimensions
    with handles 17.3 cm (height)
    without handles 13.3 cm (height)
    14.9 cm (diameter)
    15.8 cm (width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    formed cast
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Lent by the Sir Alan Barlow Collection Trust.
    Accession no.
    LI1301.6
  • Further reading

    University of Sussex, and Arts and Humanities Research Council, The Barlow Collection, supervised by Regina Krahl, Maurice Howard, and Aiden Leeves (Sussex: University of Sussex, 2006), no. B7

Glossary (2)

ding, taotie

  • ding

    A Chinese bronze tripod ritual cooking vessel. Also a type of white porcelain from Northern China.

  • taotie

    Stylized monster mask decoration with prominent eyes and scrolling horns. The motif has been known since the 1100s. Its significance remains mysterious.

Location

    • Ground floor | Room 10 | China to 800

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Publications online

  • The Barlow Collection by the University of Sussex

    The Barlow Collection

    The piece has a hemispherical bowl with an everted angular rim with two arched handles, and is raised on three flat, curved, blade-shaped legs. The bowl is decorated with a band of taotie design with three masks centred on and separated by raised flanges, each rendered in low relief with eyes, ears and fangs and the body stylized into scrollwork with a claw identifiable, all on a scrollwork (leiwen) ground. The bronze is thickly encrusted with green patina. A clan sign depicting a halberd enclosed in a cross-shaped surround in the form of the character ya is cast below the rim inside.
Notice

Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum