Museum Exhibition
Mirroring China's Past: Emperors and Their Bronzes
Art Institute of Chicago
February 25, 2018 – May 13, 2018
Featuring over 180 objects in various media, this exhibition is the first to study in depth the tradition of collecting ancient Chinese bronzes, offering a new understanding of these revered objects and their significance through time.
Exhibition artworks
Representative work
China
Rectangular Tureen (fu)
Eastern Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period (770–481 B.C.)
Bronze
18.6 × 33.3 × 21 cm (7 5/16 × 13 1/8 × 8 1/2 in.)
View artwork at the museumFeatured works
China
Dagger-Axe (ge)
Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046 B.C.)
Bronze
26.4 × 7.4 × 0.8 cm (10 3/8 × 2 15/16 × 11 in.)
View at museum
China
Dagger-Axe (Ge)
Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period (480–221 B.C.)
Bronze inlaid with silver
20 × 13 cm (7 15/16 × 5 1/8 in.)
View at museum
China
Jar in the Form of an Ancient Bronze Container (lei)
Warring States Period (475–221 B.C.)
Stoneware
26.6 × 34 cm (10 5/8 × 13 3/8 in.); Diam.: 34 cm (13 3/8 in.)
View at museum
China probably Hebei province
Container in the Form of a Bronze Jar (Hu)
Warring States period, 475–221 BCE
Earthenware
36 × 21.6 cm (14 × 8 1/2 in.); Diam.: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.)
View at museum
China
Square-Sectioned Jars (Fanghu)
Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE–9 CE
Earthenware
44 × 20.5 × 20.5 cm (17 5/16 × 8 1/16 × 8 1/16 in.)
View at museum
China
Lobed Tripod Cauldron (Li)
Longshan culture (c. 2500–2000 BC)
Earthenware
H: 7 7/8" (17.5cm) × W: 6 1/2" (16.7cm); Diam. of mouth: 4 7/8" (12.2cm)
View at museum35 documented works in this exhibition
View all 35 documented works