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Daoist ritual vessel

17th–18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 215
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
This vessel and the nearby cauldron (LCB.224) evoke archaic bronze shapes but replace ancient motifs with Daoist patterns, including the eight trigrams encircling the rim, arrays of bosses representing constellations on the body, and symbols of the sun and moon on the handles. The marks on their bases indicate that they were once owned by the same individual—Tianyi Shanren, likely a Daoist priest—and used for making elixir, a Daoism specialty in pursuit of immortality.
Mark
天一山人丹壺
Elixir pot of Mountain Man Heaven One [Tianyi Shanren]

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 清　銅星斗紋平一山人丹壺
  • Title: Daoist ritual vessel
  • Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
  • Date: 17th–18th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 11 ½ in. (29.2 cm); W. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Lent by Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Robert E. Kresko)
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Saint Louis Art Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art