Fangding food vessel

This fangding, or “squared ding, ” shows an interesting development in ding design. Although it is still a raised boxlike vessel on four columnar legs, the decoration shows a tendency toward the abstract, which may have been influenced by contemporary textile design. The principal surface displays a rectangular field of interlocked Ts on 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 the linear patterns on this small vessel have been filled with a black carbon-based substance, to give added emphasis to the graphic designs. Though not widespread, this technique can be found in other late Shang and early Western Zhou bronzes.