Copy of "Jianzhao" goosefoot lamp
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Commissioned in 1838 by Zhang Tingji, one of the most famous antiquarians and antique dealers of the time, this lamp is a faithful copy of a Han dynasty prototype. Zhang’s inscription along the base makes clear that it was created as an artistic homage rather than as a forgery. In addition to the date of Zhang’s commission, it includes a poem that reads: “Night-shining pearls are not as precious; light from the goosefoot [lamp] is enough to comfort me.”
Artwork Details
- 清道光 張廷濟仿建昭雁足燈
- Title: Copy of "Jianzhao" goosefoot lamp
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 1838
- Culture: China
- Medium: Copper alloy
- Dimensions: H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm); Diam. 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm); Wt. 41.9 lb (19 kg)
- Classification: Metalwork
- Credit Line: Lent by Shanghai Museum
- Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Shanghai Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art