Cup in the shape of an ox-head
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.The mark on this cup’s base indicates that it was inspired by a Han dynasty cup illustrated in the antiquarian catalogue Xuanhe bogutu. The shape can be traced back to a rhyton, a type of drinking horn from West Asia that traveled to China in medieval times. With its luxurious gilding and its fine and lively rendering of the ox, the cup represents a true achievement by an artist known to us only from the mark as Shizheng.
Artwork Details
- 明 銅鎏金犧首杯
- Title: Cup in the shape of an ox-head
- Artist: Shizheng (Chinese, act. ca. 16th–17th century)
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: 16th–17th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Parcel gilt copper alloy
- Dimensions: H. approx. 3 15/16 in. (10 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork
- Credit Line: Lent by Shanghai Museum
- Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Shanghai Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art