1300-1100 BC, Late Shang Dynasty. A bronze tripod, generally known as a ding. The object comprises a hemispherical body with shelved rim and two rectangular handles. A band of geometric decoration runs horizontally around the upper part of the body, just below the rim. The body is supported by three robust cylindrical legs. This beautiful object may have been used for ritual banqueting among the aristocracy of the Late Shang Dynasty, who ruled over the lower and middle Yellow River Valley in the 2nd millennium BC. For a comparable item recently sold at Christies, see https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2007/NYR/2007_NYR_01877_0205_000(023528).jpg Excellent condition; beautiful patina. The artefact is fully authenticated with XRF analysis by an independent Belgian laboratory. All samples correspond to the metal content of the period specified; no modern trace elements were detected in the patina; expertly cleaned and conserved. Size: L:192mm / W:145mm ; 1kg. Provenance: From an old Sumerset collection of Asian Art formed in the 1990s; formerly in a Hong Kong collection acquired in the early 1990s.