Hollow-Legged Tripod (Li Ding)

A bronze ritual cooking vessel with three hollow legs, two loop handles at the rim, and a green patina. Raised interlocking scroll and spiral patterns cover the belly and neck in bands. The lower body swells and narrows toward the feet, and the rim is slightly flared.

Look closer: The three legs are hollow and open at their bases, visible as small dark openings at the feet.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 900 BCE

Medium

bronze

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

3400 × 2627 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from various donors by exchange and the John L. Severance Fund