Shang Bronze - Blog Posts

It's the Da He Ding! Chinese ritual bronzes should be contemplated while reading Bataille on sacrifice

I was always amazed by the elaborate surrealism in ancient bronze. The examples are not limited to this famous Square Humanoid Ding (人面銅方鼎). My friend calls it "Shang era TV-set."

Animalistic motifs are common in household items and especially ritual items of the Shang and Zhou eras. However, such Janus-like vessels were rare even in those good old days.

Hunan Provincial Museum (湖南省博物館) collection.

Photo: ©老猪的碎碎念