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Box with Lid

2nd century BC
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Each half of this box resembles a phiale, a type of lobed bowl from Achaemenid Persia (550–330 B.C.) that was common in western Asia during the Hellenistic period (323–31 B.C.), a time of frequent exchange between the Parthians and the Greeks. While the hammering technique points to a Persian origin, the combination of two bowls into a lidded box is found in neither the Iranian nor the Greek world. The box is, rather, an example of Chinese artists finding innovative uses for imported works.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 西汉 银鎏金水滴纹圆盒
  • Title: Box with Lid
  • Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
  • Date: 2nd century BC
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Parcel-gilt silver
  • Dimensions: H. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm); Diam. 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm); Diam.of rim 5 3/16 in. (13.2 cm); Diam. of foot 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm)
  • Classification: Silver
  • Credit Line: Lent by Nanjing Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art