Ritual vessel (dou)
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.The lengthy inscription on this pedestal bowl states that it was from a group of ritual bronzes cast in 1359 under governmental supervision for the Confucian school of Songjiang Prefecture (now a suburb district of Shanghai). The long list of local officials’ names demonstrates the vessel’s commemorative significance and attests to the official respect and political importance accorded to Confucianism in Mongol Yuan China.
Artwork Details
- 元至正 松江府學祭器銅豆
- Title: Ritual vessel (dou)
- Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
- Date: 1359
- Culture: China
- Medium: Copper alloy
- Dimensions: H. 8 11/16 in. (22 cm); Diam. 6 1/4 in. (15.8 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork
- Credit Line: Lent by Shanghai Museum
- Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Shanghai Museum
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art