Ritual cauldron (li) with masks (taotie) and dragons

Historical period(s)
early Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1250-1200 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 28.9 Ɨ 21.5 Ɨ 20.5 cm (11 3/8 Ɨ 8 7/16 Ɨ 8 1/16 in)
Geography
China, probably Henan province, Anyang
Credit Line
Gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1987.64
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Ritual vessel: li

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), China, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE)
Provenance

To 1977
Kochukyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan [1]

1977-1987
The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, purchased from Kochukyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan [2]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

Notes:

[1] See correspondences from Kochukyo Co., Ltd., copies in object file.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Kochukyo Co. Ltd. established 1924
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation founded 1965

Published References
  • Mizuno Seiichi, The Nikon Keizai. Bronzes and Jades of Ancient China. Tokyo. 25, plate 90.
  • Dawn Ho Delbanco. Art from Ritual: Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Exh. cat. Washington. cat. 27, pp. 78-79.
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 119, p. 179.
  • Robert W. Bagley. Shang Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections: Volume 1 of Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. vol. 1, Washington and Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1987. cat. 89, pp. 476-479.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.