On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Archaistic ritual steamer (yan)
A number of caches unearthed in Sichuan constitute major sources of Southern Song bronzes, presumably buried to thwart looting during the Mongol invasion in the mid-thirteenth century. Typical of this group is a hoard found in 1996 at Pengzhou, thirty-seven miles north of Sichuan’s capital. The discovery included this large vessel in the form of an ancient steamer. It was likely used as an ornamental censer or flower vase instead of a cooking vessel like its ancient prototype.
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