Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900

Pengliang Lu
2025
304 pages
354 illustrations
9.5 x 11 in
View More Publication Info

Bronze vessels were the ultimate emblems of power in ancient China. Beginning in the twelfth century, the rediscovery of ancient bronzes as evidence of an earlier golden age led to a revival of bronze casting. This publication is the first comprehensive study of these later Chinese bronzes in archaic styles, which were commissioned by emperors and officials from the twelfth through the nineteenth centuries to assert political legitimacy and alignment with traditional values. Redressing the misconception that these works were mere imitations of the ancient vessels they emulated, Recasting the Past demonstrates that they were in fact creative reinterpretations of antique shapes and decorative motifs that were fundamentally new creations with their own aesthetic and functional character. Featuring nearly two hundred objects, many never before published—including ceremonial bells, incense burners, flower vases, ritual vessels, and writing utensils—Pengliang Lu explores their cultural and political significance from the Song dynasty through the Qing dynasty and shows their enormous influence on Chinese art and culture.

Altar Set, Bronze, China
China
late 11th century BCE
Ritual tripod cauldron (Ding), Bronze, China
China
12th–11th century BCE
Grain serving vessel (gui), Bronze, China
China
early 9th century BCE
Wine container (zun), Bronze inlaid with black pigment, China
China
13th century BCE
Wine container (Hu), Bronze, China
China
late 9th–early 8th century BCE
Incense burner, Copper alloy, China
China
12th–13th century
Coin inscribed “Chong Ning Tong Bao”, Copper alloy, China
China
1102–06
Summer Mountains, Qu Ding  Chinese, Handscroll; ink and color on silk, China
Qu Ding
ca. 1050
Finches and bamboo, Emperor Huizong  Chinese, Handscroll; ink and color on silk, China
Emperor Huizong
early 12th century
Ritual wine cup (jue), Copper alloy, China
China
1294
Ritual water vessel (lei), Copper alloy, China
China
1359
Ritual wine cup (jue), Copper alloy, China
China
1520
Tripod incense burner, Copper alloy, China
China
1486
Waves in the moonlight, Unidentified artist, Fan mounted as al album leaf; ink on silk, China
Unidentified artist
13th century
Tripod incense burner, Copper alloy, China
China
dated 1346
Tripod incense burner, Copper alloy, China
China
14th century
Vase with waves and animal masks, Copper alloy, China
China
late 13th–14th century
Hexagonal flower vase with magic fungus handles, Copper alloy, China
China
14th century
Faceted vase with flowers, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China
China
mid-14th century
Hexagonal vase with cloud-shaped handles, Copper alloy, China
China
14th century
Showing 20 of 91

View Citations

Lu, Pengliang. Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100-1900. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025.