China, late 6th-early 4th century BC. The spherical body raised on three cabriole feet issuing from taotie masks and decorated with two bands of interlaced dragons separated by a narrow rope-twist band, flanked by a pair of upright handles, the domed cover decorated with a similar band below four loop handles, the central loop fitted with a loose ring.

Provenance: Collection of Major Curtis Quisenberry, Texas, United States, acquired in Korea during the 1950s, and thence by descent to his widow Alberta Marie Young Quisenberry. The private collection of Professor J. Gilbert and Cora McAllister, acquired from the above in July 1976, and thence by descent. Copies of the McAllister's personal notes on the present ding vessel, including a description confirming their acquisition date as well as several comparative examples, accompany this lot. Curtis D. Quisenberry (1917-1975) of Dripping Springs, Hays County, Texas was a Major in the United States Army who served in the Korean War, during which he was able to assemble a fine collection of East Asian art including ancient Chinese bronzes. Dr. J. Gilbert McAllister (1904-1993) was Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas, where he built a distinguished career as a cultural anthropologist, archaeologist, and academic leader. In the early 1930s, McAllister and his wife Cora McAllister spent a pivotal year living among the Kiowa-Apache people in Oklahoma, conducting immersive fieldwork that shaped his scholarly outlook. Returning to the University of Texas in the mid-1930s, McAllister became chair of the department and directed a major archaeological program, earning wide respect as both an administrator and an exceptional teacher affectionately known as 'Dr. Mac'. He taught for more than three decades until his retirement in 1968. Together, Gilbert and Cora assembled a wide-ranging collection of Asian art and antiquities, reflecting their shared passion for the cultures and material histories of China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Expected ancient wear, manufacturing irregularities, signs of burial and traces of weathering, encrustations, areas of corrosion, minor losses, surface scratches, light dents. The bronze with a superb, naturally grown patina with extensive malachite encrustation.

Weight: 1,525 g
Dimensions: Height 19 cm, Width 22.5 cm

During the Zhou dynasty (1045-256 BC), vessels called ding were used to hold meat during ritual feasts and royal banquets. This particular ding is covered with an elaborate and stylized interweaving dragon motif. Toward the end of the Shang dynasty (c. 16th-10th century BC) and beginning of the Zhou, the animal patterns frequently found on Shang bronzes began to give way to designs that were more abstract. Though the body of this ding was fashioned according to the Zhou style, the finely cast zoomorphic masks that adorn each of the vessel's three legs allude to a traditional decorative motif called taotie that was found on earlier Shang bronzes and may have symbolized ancestral spirits.

Bestowed to recognize meritorious achievement, imperial favor, appointment to office, the settlement of a contract, or the taking of an oath, a set of bronzes usually contained an odd number of ding vessels. According to historical texts, the emperor would use nine dings in sacrifices; feudal lords would use seven; high-ranking officials would use five; and minor nobles would use three.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze ding dated 6th-5th century BC, 24.1 cm wide, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.319. Compare a related larger bronze ding dated 5th-4th century BC in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1988.20.6.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 27 September 2021, lot 504
Price: USD 21,420 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An archaic bronze ritual food vessel and cover (ding), Eastern Zhou dynasty, late Spring and Autumn / early Warring States period
Expert remark: Compare the related form, manner of casting, and size (22.2 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 14 September 2018, lot 1118
Price: USD 32,500 or approx. EUR 36,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze ritual tripod food vessel and cover, ding, late Spring and Autumn period, late 6th-early 5th century BC
Expert remark: Compare the related form, manner of casting, and motifs. Note the slightly larger size (29.3 cm).