Vessel
960-1279 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ewer shaped like a goose displays an elaborate inlaying technique, in which gold and silver wires and gold and silver sheets were inserted into pre-chiselled depressions on the surface of the bronze. It is a Song dynasty copy of the flamboyant style of decoration that was at its height many centuries earlier in the late Zhou period. Inlaid bronzes were treasured by later collectors, since it was considered that they were a speciality of the perhaps mythical Xia dynasty (believed by the Chinese to be their earliest ruling dynasty, with traditional dates of 2205-1818 BC).
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze inlaid with gold and silver wires and sheets |
| Brief description | Vessel, bronze inlaid with gold and silver wires and sheets, China, Song dynasty (960-1279) |
| Physical description | Pouring vessel in the shape of a goose with a hollow beak for a spout, a handle from the necka cross a hole in the back, and an inlaid fan tail. There is malachite on the feet and the inlays are both wire-work and sheet-work of gold and silver. In the form on an ancient vessel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | This ewer shaped like a goose displays an elaborate inlaying technique, in which gold and silver wires and gold and silver sheets were inserted into pre-chiselled depressions on the surface of the bronze. It is a Song dynasty copy of the flamboyant style of decoration that was at its height many centuries earlier in the late Zhou period. Inlaid bronzes were treasured by later collectors, since it was considered that they were a speciality of the perhaps mythical Xia dynasty (believed by the Chinese to be their earliest ruling dynasty, with traditional dates of 2205-1818 BC). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.731:1-1910 |
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| Record created | March 3, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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