A green-black cast bronze vessel that is in the shape of a standing four-legged, hooved animal. The creature’s body is thick and round with a long, downturned tail. Its neck is thick and its head has a long, small snout, round eyes, and almond-shaped ears that point straight up. There is a curved form in the center of its back.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A green-black cast bronze vessel that is in the shape of a standing four-legged, hooved animal that faces to the viewer’s diagonal right. The creature has very short legs, a thick and round body, and a long, downturned tail. Its neck is thick and its head has a long, small snout, round eyes, and almond-shaped ears that point straight up. Its mouth has an open hole. The pupils of the eyes and a decorated band around its neck are gold. There is a protruding, curved form in the center of its back.

Gallery Text

As its name implies, the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) was an era during which various states that were ruled by powerful clans competed for supremacy in China. The high demand for luxury goods to furnish the tombs of wealthy nobles enabled numerous artistic traditions to flourish, resulting in an array of ornate artifacts from this period and the subsequent Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Bronze vessels continued to be commissioned by the ruling elite during both eras, but the addition of gold and intricate openwork designs (here seen on the gilt bronze pedestaled dou and the small openwork pou vessels) transformed this previously austere tradition into a more decorative artistic craft. Jade containers made in shapes traditionally used for bronze or lacquer vessels (such as the three exhibited here) were the epitome of ostentation, as there was no better way to demonstrate wealth than to reproduce a luxury item in a more expensive medium.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.52.182
Title
Pouring Vessel in the Form of a Standing Quadruped with Hinged Cover in the Form of a Duck
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
206 BCE - 220 CE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Han dynasty, 206 BCE-220 CE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204362

Location

Location
Level 1, Room 1600, Early Chinese Art, Arts of Ancient China from the Bronze Age to the Golden Age
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Cast bronze with inlays of turquoise, sheet gold and silver, and copper wire
Dimensions
H. 27.8 x W. 39 x D. 14.9 cm (10 15/16 x 15 3/8 x 5 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Yamanaka & Co., New York, October 2, 1914] sold; to Grenville L. Winthrop, New York (1914-1943), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.52.182
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Exhibition History

  • S427: Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008
  • 32Q: 1600 Early China II, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu