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Bronze dui vessel with inlaid geometric cloud pattern, Hubei Provincial Museum.

Dui or Tui (Chinese: 敦; pinyin: duì) is a type of Chinese ritual bronze vessel used in the late Zhou dynasty and the Warring States period of Ancient China. It was a food container used as a ritual vessel. Most Dui consist of two bowls supported on three legs that appear in either spherical or globular forms.

Function and Usage

In some examples the two symmetric hemispheres could be used individually or as a bowl with lid when facilitating the ritual process. (ma chengyuan) Lidded varieties are evidenced by the lack of supporting structure on each bowl (Rene Yvon). The vessel might be displayed prominently within a temple or hall but also found use during feasts commemorating ancestors(Archaeology in China). At times, the vessel was produced solely for burial. In later periods the vessel became a symbol of societal prominence and the religous aspect receded (metmuseum).

References

• "dui." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. 06 Feb. 2012.
• Bronze Dui, website of Colby College.
• "Ritual food container (dui) (China) (2006.117a,b)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. (October 2006)

Category:Chinese bronzeware Category:Containers