Lacquer ladle with dragon design
Date:Western Han (206 BCE-9 CE)
Medium:Lacquer
Dimensions:Length: 53cm; diameter: 7.8cm
Origin: Excavated from Han Tomb No.3, Mawangdui, Changsha City, Hunan Province, 1973
This kind of ladle with long handle is called bi in ancient China and is usually unearthed together with ding or ge (both are big containers of food). This ladle is made of bamboo and divided into the handle and the scoop. The joining part of the two is fixed by bamboo nails. There are also beautiful dragon designs on the handle.