The design t'ao t'ieh in the post-paleolithic containers of Bronze.

Museum of the Origins of Man

T'AO T'IEH DRAWING IN POST-PALEOLITHIC BRONZE VESSELS

Fig. F54) Ritual vessel in bronze for wine with decoration of fantastic animals.
From a typological point of view this vessel should be inserted in three-dimensional art, but we make an exception because the "manner" of representing the decoration is the t'ao t'ieh, in which the horns of the ox become the body of the dragon, while the legs of the dragon become a bird, etc. Basically the drawing prevails.
Deformation of the animal figure is typical of the style (beauty) of Chinese art.
Dating: about 3100 years ago. Early Bronze Age. Shang Dynasty. China.

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