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Vase with lion-head handles

14th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Chinese archaistic bronze vases like this example were passed down by prominent Japanese aristocrats as heirlooms. The elegant vase has lion-head handles and is adorned with an archaic pattern of birds around its neck. The inscription on its original storage-box lid, written in 1676 by Hotta Masamoto, reveals that it was a gift from Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu to Hotta’s grandfather, the daimyō Masamori, during the shogun’s visit in 1634.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 元 銅獅耳瓶
  • Title: Vase with lion-head handles
  • Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 10 15/16 in. (27.8 cm); Diam. 6 1/16 in. (15.4 cm); Diam. of rim: 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm); Diam. of base: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); Wt. 2.2 lb (1 kg)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Lent by Nezu Museum
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Nezu Museum, Tokyo
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art