Fangding food vessel

myminifactory

The fangding, also known as a "squared ding," marks an intriguing shift in ding design. Although it retains the form of a raised boxlike vessel on four columnar legs, its decoration hints at a more abstract approach, possibly influenced by contemporary textile trends. The main surface boasts a rectangular field of interlocked Ts against a ground of squared spirals, framed on three sides by rows of spikes. Long-tailed birds flank the short flanges forming the central ridge of a rudimentary taotie mask. Notably, all linear patterns on this compact vessel have been filled with a black carbon-based substance to amplify the graphic designs' visual impact. While not common, this technique can be spotted in other late Shang and early Western Zhou bronzes. This object was scanned by The Minneapolis Institute of Art