Did you know how ancient Dian state nobility in Southwest China kept their coins more than 2,000 years ago? The bronze shell container with a lid decorated by four bulls and a gilded horse rider on top provides a clue.
They were kept and collected in a cylindrical container with two tiger-shaped ears on both sides. This container presents the superb bronze casting craft of the ancient kingdom of Dian. The container also reflects the aristocratic status of its owner.
It is now in the permanent collection of the Yunnan Provincial Museum.