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Tripod vase

14th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 216
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
This vase features an unusual tripod shape rarely found among archaic bronzes. In addition to the common animal-mask pattern, it is decorated with entwined dragons around its neck—a new design of the fourteenth century. The vase illustrates the experimental spirit embedded in bronzes of the time.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 元　銅仿古三足瓶（福建南平窖藏出土）
  • Title: Tripod vase
  • Period: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 6 11/16in. (17 cm); Diam. 14 3/4 in. (37.4 cm); Diam. of rim: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork
  • Credit Line: Lent by Fujian Provincial Museum, Fuzhou
  • Rights and Reproduction: Photograph courtesy of Fujian Provincial Museum, Fuzhou
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art