The Collection
The American Wing Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Asian Art The Cloisters The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Robert Lehman Collection The Libraries Medieval Art Musical Instruments Photographs Antonio Ratti Textile Center Modern and Contemporary Art

Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Lamp in the Shape of a Mythical Bird

Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Not on view

This lamp, typical of southern Chinese bronzes, demonstrates a design innovation particular to the Han, a form of hollow-bodied lamp known as gang (literally, “hollow”). Smoke emitted from the lit fuel would enter the lamp via a point of ingress—in this case, the mouth and neck of the bird (likely a phoenix or a peacock)—and accumulate in the hollow inner body, which usually contained water. The smoke was therefore contained, and would not prove a nuisance to those nearby.

Lamp in the Shape of a Mythical Bird, Bronze, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

西汉青铜神鸟灯

Title: Lamp in the Shape of a Mythical Bird

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Culture: China

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: H. 13 in. (33 cm); W. 5 7/8 in. (15 cm); L. 16 9/16 in. (42 cm)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Lent by Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.