Mao Gong ding

Mao Gong ding
MaterialBronze
Height53.8 cm (21.2 in)
Width47.9 cm (18.9 in)
Createdc. 805 BCE
Discovered1843
Shaanxi, China
Present locationTaipei, Taiwan
Rubbing of the inscriptions on the vessel

The Mao Gong ding (Chinese: 毛公鼎; pinyin: Máogōng dǐng; lit. 'Lord Mao's cauldron') is a bronze tripod ding vessel from the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1045 – c. 771 BCE), currently at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. The vessel has an inscription of 500 characters arranged in 32 lines, the longest inscription among the ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions. The ding dates from the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, and was presented to him by the Lord Yin of Mao.[1][2]

Description

The Mao Gong ding takes its name from the Lord (公 gōng) Yin of Mao, who gifted the ding to the King after being appointed to help run state affairs.[2][3] The artifact is 53.8 cm high, 47.9 cm wide,[1] and weighs a total of 34.7 kilograms.[4]

The interior surface of the ding is covered in an inscription of 500 characters, the longest such inscription known today.[2] The National Palace Museum summarizes its contents:

"The inscription text bears witness to the 'King Xuan restoration' in Western Zhou history [i.e. revitalization after the ascension of King Xuan, ending the Gonghe interregnum]. The first part of the text consists of King Xuan's instructions to the Duke of Mao. The middle portion recounts how the King, upon taking the throne, fondly recalled how the King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou had enjoyed the Mandate of Heaven and established the kingdom, as well as the King's vigilance and apprehension over inheriting the Mandate himself. The latter part lists in detail the generous gifts the King had bestowed upon the Duke of Mao. In closing, the Duke of Mao expresses his gratitude to the King, and presents the ding as an expression thereof for future generations."[5]

History

The Mao Gong ding was excavated in Qishan County, Shaanxi province in 1843, during the Daoguang Emperor's reign.[1][2] The famous collector Chen Jieqi (1813–1884) acquired it in 1852. He and his studio made precise rubbings of the inscriptions.[6] In the Xuantong era (1909–1911) Duanfang (1861–1911) bought it from the Chen family.

Ye Gongchuo (1881–1968) was presented with the ding by friends bought and presented the tripod to him from the Tianjin Dao Sheng Bank, which had it as a mortgage. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Ye family sold it to Chen Yon Ren, a millionaire in Shanghai. In April 1946, Chen Yon Ren donated the tripod to the Kuomintang Shanghai Government through a general in their army. In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang moved it to Taiwan, where it remains housed at the National Palace Museum.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Chinese Art Treasures, 1961
  2. ^ a b c d "The Bell and Cauldron Inscriptions-A Feast of Chinese Characters: the Origin and Development_Mao Gong Ding". National Palace Museum. 5 February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Full Rubbing of the Mao Gong Ding". National Palace Museum. January 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  4. ^ Tan, "The Mao Gong Ding", 1986
  5. ^ "Mao Gong Ding" [毛公鼎], description from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (in Chinese). Accessed 18 April 2020. Text in modern Chinese characters: "銘文內容見證了西周「宣王中興」的歷史，銘文前段為宣王對毛公的訓誥之辭，文中敘述宣王於即位之初緬懷周文王、武王如何享有天命、開創國家，他即位後對其所繼承的天命也戒慎恐懼。後段詳載宣王贈予毛公的豐厚賞賜。毛公於文末亦表達了對宣王的感謝，並願以此鼎傳之於後世。"
  6. ^ "Rubbings of Inscriptions on Mao Gong Ding, the Duke Mao Tripod". 1852. Retrieved 27 February 2018. World Digital Library, Library of Congress
  7. ^ Tan, "The Mao Gong Ding", 1986

References

See also