Types of Bronze Vessels in Historical Order
2 min readDecoration and Inscriptions
Already the earliest types of bronze vessels show the typical Tao Tie pattern that is said to depict a voracious monster or dragon.The newer types of Tao Tie pattern make it more understandable as a forerunner of the more slim and friendly dragons of the Chinese pictorial art.5 Other typical characteristics of the bronze vessels are e wobwnontise achmeons on ue mlof heeses，the nipple-nail pattern and the three legs.
The first inscriptions of the bronze vessels are claninsignias or simply names of persons.Ever since the Western nou Dymasty，brone wesds had born inscriptions of enfeoffment，memorials or instructions. Seea piece or ink rmbbng from the Maogong Dng .
It should be noted that the vessels far more than words for our memory，but an ever lasting cultural heritage for the later generations. They are lively documents of the long past history.
Types of Bronze Vessels in Historical Order
Ding is one of the standard vessels for food sacrifice.Although one can often come across the three-legged Ding，there are many examples of four-legged vessels，especially in ancienttimes.Ding of this kind are called Fang Ding（square Ding）.Another kind of Ding is a Li-Ding，a vessel between Li and Ding，and a fourth type is the flat foot Ding，only usedduring the Shang time.Human faces are seldom seen on bronze vessels，but one of such has been discovered.This vessel has the inscription“dahe”，probably the name of the owner.The earliest Ding essels arose during the Erligang Culture，deriving from Stone Age pottery.The character“ding”is a picture of the vessel.
Li is the round-belled food container with three hollow legs from the early Shang Dynasty to the late Warring States Period.Typical for this vessel type is the seamless，smooth transition from the legs into the body that makes the Li optically slimmer than the Ding type.
There are mixed forms called Li-Ding or Ding-Li，written with special characters that have long since died out.From the Spring and Autumn Period on，the Li type vessels became flatter than the earlier ones.The character“yu”is a picture of the vessel and is generally used as a character for“offering vessel.”
Zun is the multi-shaped wine vessel with wide opening and flat bottom.After coming up in the early Shang Dynasty，this vessel developed forms with a wide belly.The zun was a standard type vessel and was copied until Qing times.The character“zun”is a picture of the vessel and is taken in verbal sense with the meaning of“to revere，to venerate，to honor.”
