Da Ke Ding 大克鼎

 

Da Ke Ding [aphoto.com.cn]

As an important bronze vessel used for ceremony, the "Ding" not only served as cooking and banquet container and to make sacrificial offerings to ancestors, but also was used to symbolize the social status and power of the owner. Unearthed from Famen Temple, Shaanxi Province in 1890, Da Ke Ding was belonged to an elite official named Ke in the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771B.C.). Measured 93.1 cm high and 201.5 kg weight, this Ding is huge and heavy. Its mouth rim is decorated with animal mask motif and its belly with smooth wave-like patterns. There is also an inscription of 290 characters carved on the inner wall, which tells the story that the King granted Ke with a noble title and lots of land and slaves.