English

Altar Set

late 11th century BCE
Not on view
This elaborate set of ritual bronzes, consisting of an altar table and thirteen wine vessels, illustrates the splendor of China’s Bronze Age at its peak. The monumental design, intricate surface decoration, and refined casting attest convincingly to artistic sophistication and tech­nological advancement. The set was reportedly found in the early twentieth century at the tomb of a Western Zhou aristocrat in Shaanxi province and subsequently entered the collection of Duan Fang, a prominent government official and renowned antiquarian, whose heirs later sold it to the Metropolitan Museum.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Altar Set
  • Period: Shang dynasty–Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE)
  • Date: late 11th century BCE
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: Overall (table): H. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm); W. 18 1/4 in. (46.4 cm); D. 35 3/8 in. (89.9 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Munsey Fund, 1931
  • Object Number: 24.72.1–.14
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

Cover Image for 949. Kids: Ritual Altar Set

949. Kids: Ritual Altar Set

Gallery 207

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The bronze warming, serving, and drinking vessels in this display case are more than three thousand years old. Walk around the case to see how they're decorated. Look for details such as dragons, birds, or masks. Bronze vessels like these played a role in ancient Chinese religion. Such bronzes held food or wine—gifts placed on an altar as offerings. People pray to their ancestors' spirits, asking them to protect the living. Like most of the art in this gallery, these bronzes survived because they were buried in someone's tomb. Tombs have taught us most of what we know about life in ancient China. The ancient Chinese believed that in the next world, the dead would need everything they once had on earth. They designed a tomb as an eternal home filled with food, clothing, furniture, and money. They also provided bronze vessels like these so that in the next world, the dead could receive offerings forever.

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