| Mao Gong ding | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Height | 53.8 cm |
| Width | 47.9 cm |
| Created | c. 805 BC |
| Discovered | 1843 Shaanxi, China |
| Present location | Taipei, Taiwan |
The Mao Gong ding Chinese: 毛公鼎; pinyin: Máo gōng dǐng; lit. 'tripod vessel of the Lord of Mao' is a bronze ding tripod vessel from the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1045 BCE – 771 BCE), currently at the National Palace MuseuminTaipei. The vessel has an inscription of 500 characters arranged in 32 lines, the longest inscription among the ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions. The ding dates from the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, and was presented to him by the Lord Yin of Mao.[1][2]
The Mao Gong ding takes its name from the Lord (公 gōng) Yin of Mao, who gifted the ding to the King after being appointed to help run state affairs.[2][3] The artifact is 53.8 cm high, 47.9 cm wide,[1] and weighs a total of 34.7 kilograms.[4]
The interior surface of the ding is covered in an inscription of 500 characters, the longest such inscription known today.[2] The National Palace Museum summarizes its contents:
The Mao Gong ding was excavated in Qishan County, Shaanxi province in 1843, during the Daoguang Emperor's reign.[1][2] The famous collector Chen Jieqi (1813–1884) acquired it in 1852. He and his studio made precise rubbings of the inscriptions.[6] In the Xuantong era (1909–1911) Duanfang (1861–1911) bought it from the Chen family.
Ye Gongchuo (1881–1968) was presented with the ding by friends bought and presented the tripod to him from the Tianjin Dao Sheng Bank, which had it as a mortgage. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Ye family sold it to Chen Yon Ren, a millionaire in Shanghai. In April 1946, Chen Yon Ren donated the tripod to the Kuomintang Shanghai Government through a general in their army. In 1949, Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang moved it to Taiwan, where it remains housed at the National Palace Museum.[7]
