Covered vessel in the shape of a heavenly rooster
Containers in the shape of a rooster carrying a vessel on its back are an invention of Song dynasty (960–1279) antiquarians, who believed that such ritual vessels existed in the classical age of ancient China. This rock crystal vessel was modeled after the bronze ones that were catalogued as “heavenly rooster vases” (tianjizun) in the collection of Emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95), who had a deep interest in the antiquities. The term “heavenly rooster” comes from a Chinese legend about a mythical bird whose crowing awakens the whole world.
Artwork Details
- 清中期 水晶天雞尊
- Title: Covered vessel in the shape of a heavenly rooster
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 18th–19th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Rock crystal
- Dimensions: H. 3 in. (7.6 cm); W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm); D. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
- Classification: Hardstone
- Credit Line: Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902
- Object Number: 02.18.838a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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China
late 18th–early 19th century
China
18th–19th century
China
dated 1774
China
1713–22
China
ca. 2650–2350 BCE
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