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Vase with elephant-headed 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.
In Edo Japan, archaistic bronze vases from China were not only furnishings for residential settings but also markers of cultural and social status. Once in the collection of the Tokugawa shogunate, this vase was likely displayed in gatherings held by the shogun. The inscription on its original box indicates that the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna, appraised the vase as one of his “incomparably amusing interests” in 1665.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 元　古銅筋象耳花生
  • Title: Vase with elephant-headed handles
  • Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm); Diam. 5 9/16 in. (14.2 cm); Diam. of rim: 2 5/8 in. (6.6.cm); Diam. of base: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); /qt, 3,1 kb (1.4 kg)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Lent by Nezu Museum
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Nezu Museum, Tokyo
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art