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.
Ritual vessel (xiangzun)
Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong mark and period (1736–95)
This specific type of elephant vessel was created for summer ceremonies at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The elephant is more naturalistic than antique in style, and its mostly undecorated vase recalls the shape of Ming or Qing ceramics. The shape may be inspired by Buddhist works depicting elephants carrying vases of plenty on their backs, rather than by archaic precedents.
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