Ku Vessel Molds from Hsiao-t’un
During the Erligang period, there are not only tripodal vessels for warming, but also cylindrical bronzes with ring foot, such as ku and tsun vessels. The clay mold sections for a ku vessel discovered at Hsiao-t’un can produce a vessel from the lower part of its neck to the ring foot in one piece. The mold section can thus be divided into the upper part of the neck and the remaining lower part of the vessel. The sharp triangular pattern on the neck is remarkably unique, casted from several mold sections (R016835, R025646, and R016837) which are assembled like a peeled banana. Artifact R017561, conical in shape, is believed to be the model of a ku ring foot on which the surface is coated with black substance, inscribed with dark lines depicting its patterns.
- Period
- 殷商
- Excavated/Findspot
- 河南安陽殷墟
- Notes
- 1. Bronze Ku Vessel, R001033, Tomb 1400, Hsi-pei-kang
2. Ku Vessel Ring Foot Mold, R016830, Pit YH42, Hsiao-t’un
3. Ku Vessel Ring Foot Mold, R016875, Pit YH83, Hsiao-t’un
4. Ku Vessel Ring Foot Mold, R016832, Pit YH126, Hsiao-t’un
5. Ku Vessel Neck Mold, R016957, Pit YH42, Hsiao-t’un
6. Ku Vessel Ring Foot Mold, R016693, Pit YH45, Hsiao-t’un
7. Ku Vessel Ring Foot Mold, R016868, Pit YH42, Hsiao-t’un
8. Ku Vessel Neck Stand-Alone Motif Mold, R016835, Trench B125, Hsiao-t’un
9. Ku Vessel Neck Stand-Alone Motif Mold, R016837, Pit YH42, Hsiao-t’un
10. Ku Vessel Neck Stand-Alone Motif Mold, R025646, Hsiao-t’un
11. Ku Vessel Ring Foot Model, R017561, Pit YH85, Hsiao-t’un
