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Western Han Dynasty bronze receptacle reveals owner’s prominent status

Updated: Oct 16, 2023 www.chinaservicesinfo.com Print
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Bronze receptacle decorated with four oxen and a gilded rider on a horse, from the collection of the Yunnan Provincial Museum [Photo/Official Weibo account of the Yunnan Provincial Museum]

Bronze receptacles from the ancient Dian Kingdom, used for storing cowrie shells, boast unique ethnic characteristics and have never been found in other regions.

Here is a specimen from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24)! It features a waisted cylindrical shape, adorned by two tiger-shaped handles on two sides of its waist. The lifelike tigers are depicted climbing upwards. Four robust-looking oxen running counter-clockwise around a tray, with a cylindrical knob, are on the lid. A gilded rider on a horse is set on the tray.

With the rider dressed in magnificent attire and having a sword at his waist, it indicates that the tomb owner held significant power, possibly a royal family member of the ancient Dian Kingdom. It is one of the receptacles in the permanent collection of the Yunnan Provincial Museum.

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