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Goose

Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE)
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This goose is one of forty-six life-size bronze waterfowl discovered in a single pit at the mausoleum of the First Emperor. The pit also yielded fifteen terracotta figures, likely representing musicians, who together with the birds recreated a scene of leisure and entertainment in the imperial garden. The birds are anatomically accurate and exhibit subtle differences in position, be they at rest, swimming, or eating. Some of the birds still bear traces of original pigments.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 秦 铜雁
  • Title: Goose
  • Period: Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE)
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: H. 11 7/16 in. (29 cm); W. 9 7/16 in. (24 cm); L. 21 5/8 in. (55 cm); Wt. 52.9 lb. (24 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art