Bronze Square Pot with a Lotus-petal Shaped Lid

Detail

Dates：Spring & Autumn Period
Size：Total height 80cm, Length of mouth 18.2cm, Width of mouth 18.7cm

Unearthed from Marquis Cai’s tomb in Ximen, Shou county, Anhui province in 1955
The pot has a square neck and globular belly. Its lid is decorated with beautiful fretwork in the shape of lotus-petals, and its neck is decorated with symmetrical design of animal ears. Its belly is divided into four sections with cross-shaped ridges. At the four corners of the circular base lie four couching animals, raising their head high. There are six characters inscribed on the pot. This pot is tall in shape and beautifully decorated, a treasure of bronze art in the Spring and Autumn Period.