An archaic bronze vessel (Ling), Eastern Zhou dynasty

Michael Goedhuis, London, 23rd January 1995.

Archaic bronzes of this form should be named as ling, a type of wine vessel that emerged during the Western Zhou dynasty and gradually disappeared after the Spring and Autumn period. Ling shares similarities with lei, another bronze wine vessel form more commonly known. However, bronze lei usually have three handles and a raised foot ring, whereas ling often have only two handles and a flat foot. For a similar Spring and Autumn period bronze ling of this form, see Chen Peifen ed., Zhongguo qingtongqi cidian / Dictionary of Chinese archaic bronzes, vol. 1, Shanghai, 2013, p. 44.