Chinese Embossed Bronze Rat and Snake Urn. Small embossed bronze urn with incise geometric patterns on body, with rat and snake on upper body. Impressed artist's mark on base.

Size: 3 1/4 x 3 x 4 in.

Chinese bronze urns, often referred to as ritual vessels or ding and gui, have been crafted since the Shang and Zhou dynasties (circa 1600–256 BCE) and hold deep cultural and spiritual significance. Originally used in ancestor worship and ceremonial offerings of food and wine, these urns were cast using sophisticated piece-mold techniques that allowed for complex relief patterns and inscriptions. Their surfaces often feature taotie masks, dragons, and geometric motifs symbolizing power, protection, and continuity between the human and divine realms. Over centuries, the artistry evolved from strictly ritual forms to decorative and commemorative pieces, reflecting shifts in dynastic taste and metallurgy. Today, ancient bronze urns are prized by collectors and historians alike as masterpieces of early Chinese craftsmanship and windows into the ritual life and cosmology of early China.

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