On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 211

The water dropper was an essential item for the scholar’s desk; this version’s form follows examples from the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) and Six Dynasties (220–589 CE) but is embellished with silver wire inlays. It was also once in the collection of Ichikawa Beian and published in his catalogue of 1848.

Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China

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Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China
Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China
Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China
Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China
Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China
Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China
Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast, Copper alloy, silver inlay, China

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