Oxen and Weaving on Dian Bronze Lids

The Shanghai Museum’s Eight-Ox Cowrie Container was excavated in 1956 from Tomb 13 at Shizhaishan in Jinning, Yunnan. The museum dates the bronze vessel to the Western Han period. Its cylindrical body narrows at the waist, where two tiger-shaped handles project from the sides. Cowrie shells were found inside.

The name counts eight animals in total: one large ox stands on a drum-shaped base at the centre of the lid, with seven smaller oxen around the rim. Their lowered heads and tails contrast with the large animal’s raised, curving horns. The group rises above the circular cover, turning a vessel closure into a small sculptural setting.

A separate cowrie container excavated at Lijiashan in Jiangchuan depicts textile work. The National Museum’s discussion of weaving containers identifies the Lijiashan figures as women working with backstrap looms. Its own illustrated weaving vessel is another object; the two collections and their figure counts cannot be interchanged.

The comparison brings two kinds of composition together: an animal group arranged around a centre, and people engaged in a craft. In each, bodies and objects are part of the bronze lid. These selected scenes give the containers a visual life beyond their stored contents, while their excavation records keep them attached to particular places and objects.