|
|
鼎，是源于中国古代商朝（约公元前1600-1046年）的由青铜或者陶瓷制成的容器。商朝时期的青铜技术已经是在世界上遥遥领先，而商朝人民将青铜制成一系列的祭祀和家庭用品。他们通常用动物的图案，人脸图案或者其他形象甚至雕刻文字来装饰鼎。常见的鼎是四腿的方鼎和三腿圆鼎。青铜艺术最鼎盛的时期是商朝以后的周朝（约公元前1045-256年），这个持久的朝代垫定了中国的文化特征和历史身份。周朝最闻名的鼎之一是大克鼎，这种三腿鼎正是周爱琴女士九鼎图中鼎的模式。
|
|
Made of bronze or ceramic in various shapes, the ding (or ting) is an ancient Chinese vessel dated back to Shang Dynasty (circa 1600 – 1046 BC). A leader of bronze technology in the world, Shang people worked bronze into a series of ritual and domestic objects. They were often artistically adorned with animal designs, human faces or figures, and even writings. The common styles of ding were the rectangular-shaped (fang ding) with four legs and a tripod style round ding. The zenith of bronze art appeared in the following Zhou Dynasty (circa 1045 – 256 BC), a long-lasting one that solidified China’s cultural traits and historical identity. One of the best-known ding of Zhou Dynasty was the Da Ke ding, a tripod style depicted by artist Aiqin Zhou in her Nine Ding set.
Often used in the worship of heaven and earth, the ding marked the transition from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age in Chinese history, and the carved writings on the bronze ding (zhong ding wen) represented the transition from primitive to civilized culture. The ding, therefore, perfectly embodied the glory of ancient Chinese civilization, one of the most advanced in the world. In Chinese culture, the ding is a symbol of power; possession of the legged vessel is often associated with dominion over the land. Legend has it that even before Shang, Emperor Yu the Great of Xia Dynasty (circa 2070 – 1600 BC) had a set of nine dings made when he divided his territory into nine provinces, and that possession of all nine was a “mandate of heaven” to rule all. The Chinese term wen ding (inquiring ding) is often used to indicate conquest for power. |