VesselsChinese2nd millennium BCE

Tripod cauldron (li)

c. 2000-1500 BCE

Description

Tripod cauldron with hollow, conical legs, short neck, and wide, and flared mouth with rounded lip; the sides embellished with three round bosses evenly spaced around the widest part of the shoulders and positioned between the legs; medium gray earthenware with yellowish chalky patina. Lower Xiajiadian culture. From northeastern China; Inner Mongolia.

Classification

Vessels

Medium

Gray earthenware

Culture

Chinese

Period

Lower Xiajiadian culture, c. 2000-1500 BCE

Century

2nd millennium BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

H. 17.3 x W. 14.4 cm (6 13/16 x 5 11/16 in.)

Provenance

[J.J. Lally & Co., New York, March 2000] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (2000-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.

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