Square Base Four Ear Dou

Bronze ware from the Spring and Autumn Period
Height 17.6 cm, diameter 17.5 cm

Excavated from Zhao Qing's tomb in Jinsheng Village, Taiyuan City in 1988

Flat rim, folded lip, narrow mouth, narrow neck, bulging belly, four symmetrical ring ears on the belly wall, round bottom, trumpet-shaped low ring foot, supported by a square seat. The plate wall has two wide and narrow fine coiled snake pattern bands, the neck is decorated with coarse rope pattern, and the ring ears are decorated with hui pattern and shell pattern. The square seat is decorated with "S"-shaped coiled dragon pattern. Dou is a utensil for holding pickled vegetables, meat sauce and other condiments. Dou in ritual vessels are mostly used in even numbers.