Chinese Neolithic Li or Tripod Vessel

Three hollow legs swell out like udders, which is exactly what made them so good on a fire.

This Neolithic li or tripod vessel comes from China, dates to 2300 – 1600 BCE, and is burnished pottery. The li, with its three bulbous hollow legs, is one of the hallmark forms of Neolithic and early Bronze Age China, designed so the contents could heat quickly over coals. This example rises from three pointed lobes into a waisted body and a wide, flaring mouth. The surface is a smoky grey-brown, burnished smooth with darker fire clouds. It is 10 inches high and 7 in diameter.

Thousands of years old, and the design still makes perfect sense.