Very Rare Chinese Han Dynasty Painted Pottery Ding + Human-shaped Feet

This unusual pottery tripod vessel, or "ding", was made during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8). It is made from a grey pottery, relatively highly-fired, both body and cover having a distinct ring when tapped. There are traces on the surface still remaining of its original "cold painted" pattern. The body has, on opposing sides, two square-cut handles. The raised circular band around the top of the cover allows it to be taken off, turned upside down and used as a bowl. But what makes this vessel most interesting are its three feet of human form, each brightly painted.

Diameter 22 cm, height 18 cm. It is in very good condition with some surface wear and the inevitable loss of pigment - there is no repair or restoration. Although we believe the cover to be the original for the body, it appears to have shrunk a little during firing and does not quite sit perfectly on the body.

For reference: similar examples, although none with human-shaped feet, are illustrated and described in the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) book "Spirit of Han".

See also our Han Dynasty Painted Pottery Tripod with Human-shaped Feet (stock number MC037).

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