Henan Museum
Tripod Vessel (Li) with Herringbone Patterns
Edit: Acf
Time: 2025-03-28 16:21:57
Period: Shang dynasty (ca. 1600-1046 B.C)
Provenance: Unearthed at Zhangzhainanjie of Zhengzhou in 1974
Measurements: H.34.5 cm, Mouth Dia.22 cm
About:

人字纹鬲_副本.jpg

The vessel features an everted lip, a contracted neck, and a pair of upright handles on the rim. Its bulging belly is divided into three lobes, each resting on three conical legs that are hollow at the top and solid at the bottom. The neck is adorned with three bands of bow-string patterns, while the belly is decorated with three groups of double-line herringbone motifs.

As a practical utensil with an aesthetically pleasing form, this vessel is notably large in size and exceptionally rare among early Shang dynasty bronzes. It stands as a testament to the sophisticated bronze metallurgical techniques of the early Shang period and vividly reflects the daily life and social customs of the time. This vessel provides crucial material evidence for studying the historical context, cultural heritage, and developmental sequence of bronzes from the early Shang dynasty.