Vase in Shape of Archaic Bronze Vessel

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 200

The shape, the two stylized elephant’s heads supporting the rings at the sides, and the decoration carved into the surface allude to the forms and designs found in some of China’s earliest bronze vessels, produced during the Shang (ca. 1600–1050 B.C.) and Zhou (ca. 1050–256 B.C.) dynasties. These early vessels, which were used in court and ancestral rituals, were re-created in porcelain and other media for centuries.

Vase in Shape of Archaic Bronze Vessel, Soft-paste porcelain (Jingdezhen ware), China

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Vase in Shape of Archaic Bronze Vessel, Soft-paste porcelain (Jingdezhen ware), China
Vase in Shape of Archaic Bronze Vessel, Soft-paste porcelain (Jingdezhen ware), China
Vase in Shape of Archaic Bronze Vessel, Soft-paste porcelain (Jingdezhen ware), China
Vase in Shape of Archaic Bronze Vessel, Soft-paste porcelain (Jingdezhen ware), China

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