Bidspirit auction | Archaic certified jade ritual food

Archaic certified jade ritual food vessel Ding (鼎) Shang -Zhou dynasty 1200 BC- 800 BC - A very rare rectangular vessel ding (鼎), made in Late Shang 1200 – Early Zhou dynasties 800 BC. Height: 4.75 inches = 11.5 cm = 115 mm; Length: 6.75 inches = 17.1 cm = 171 mm; Width: 3 inches =7.7 cm = 77 mm; Weight: 1 lb. 13.1 oz. = 825 g; Mohs hardness: 6.0-6.5 (normal jade range 6.0-7.0); Authenticity report: Microscopic research revealed aging surface of the jade with the traces of ancient tools. Certification: in addition to certificate from Jade Cellar, there will be issued more detailed certificate from Eternity Gallery. Provenance: private collection of Rob Roberts, California Ding (鼎) are prehistoric and ancient Chinese cauldrons, standing upon legs with a lid and two facing handles. They are one of the most important shapes used in Chinese ritual bronzes. They were made in two shapes: round vessels with three legs and rectangular ones with four, the latter often called fangding. They were used for cooking, storage, and ritual offerings to the gods or to ancestors. The earliest recovered examples are pre-Shang ceramic ding at the Erlitou site[1] but they are better known from the Bronze Age, particularly after the Zhou deemphasized the ritual use of wine practiced by the Shang kings.[2] Under the Zhou, the ding and the privilege to perform the associated rituals became symbols of authority.[3] The number of permitted ding varied according to one's rank in the Chinese nobility: the Nine Ding of the Zhou kings were a symbol of their rule over all China but were lost by the first emperor, Shi Huangdi in the late 3rd century BCE.[4] Subsequently, imperial authority was represented by the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, carved out of the sacred Heshibi; it was lost at some point during the Five Dynasties after the collapse of the Tang. Auction results: A VERY RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE RITUAL FOOD VESSEL, FANG-DING Sold for £ 368,750 (US$ 502,160) inc. premium https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24525/lot/36/