Bronzes 9


magnificent artworks that made use of a new palette of brilliant colours inspired by objects imported from Central and Western Asia. In the essay that refers to the section on


Ming design, mention is made of the groundswell of creative energy included in bronze production. Gilt-bronze Buddhist sculptures from the 15th century are the most prominent examples of Ming imperial bronzes. Te initial and most significant sponsorship of Buddhist icons was by the Yongle emperor (1360- 1424), who was an ardent patron of Tibetan Buddhism. Te emperor presented Tibetan monasteries with numerous Buddhist


images and ritual


objects, both as an act of faith and to establish his authority over those institutions. Imperial commissions attained an unprecedented scale at this time: for example, a bronze bell that survives in Beijing is the largest ever cast in China. Bronzes of all sizes that bear the Yongle reign mark are consistent in their intricate detail and heavy gilding. Te fourth section, ‘Living with


Bronzes’, features a display in the Ming Furniture Room (Gallery 218) to demonstrate how bronzes were used in literati life from the 16th to the 19th century. Te catalogue essay for this topic notes that bronzes became an indispensable part of the elegant lives led by China’s elite from the Song through the Qing dynasty. Vases for flower arrangements and incense burners are among the most common types of bronzes that scholars, literati, and connoisseurs used in their


Incense burner in the form of a goose, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), early 15th century, bronze, 36.8 x 47 6 cm, purchase The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, The Metropolitan Museum of Art


were produced primarily by the Censer Casting Workshop (Zhuluzuo), whose name does not reflect its full range of production, which included other types of vessels, scholar’s objects, and sculpture. Te numerous small-scale decorative pieces made for the palaces of the Forbidden City and other imperial residences throughout the 18th century reflect the prevalence of antiquarian taste during a golden age of imperial bronze production. Te revival


of antique styles had


persisted throughout the Qing dynasty, but the collecting of antiques and commissioning of archaistic works


in


various media are particularly associated with the Qianlong emperor (1711-1799), China’s most prodigious art


collector.


Tens of thousands of antiques, including bronzes, jades, ceramics, paintings, and calligraphy, entered the imperial collection during Qianlong’s long reign. Tis collection now helps present-day historians, researchers, and collectors to study


and appreciate


metmuseum.org • Catalogue available


these Chinese


• Until 28 September, The Metropolitan Museum of Art,


bronzes and related artworks today.


residences.


Teir forms trace to archaic ritual wine containers and food cauldrons but, from the 12th century onwards, were adapted to these new functions. A great many large archaistic bronze vases, often more than a foot tall, were produced from the late 16th century onwards, as can be seen in the exhibition. Tey were often based on archaic designs illustrated in antiquarian catalogues such as Xuanhe bogutu. Teir size and design perfectly suited use in a reception hall, as shown in contemporary paintings, with smaller, slender vases to be used in the study, as suggested by one writer of the period. Te last section, ‘Harmonizing with


Antiquity’ examines how the deep scholarly appreciation of archaic bronzes during the 18th and 19th centuries led to a final flourishing of bronze production. Te widespread revival of bronze for ritual vessels used in state ceremonies did not occur until the mid-18th century, when the Qing emperor Qianlong undertook his ambitious reforms. In his 1748 order initiating a reassessment of ritual vessels, Qianlong noted that his father,


the Yongzheng emperor


1735), had departed from the Ming dynasty’s customary use of porcelain by presenting newly cast bronze vessels to the Confucian temple in Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius. In addition to musical instruments and ritual vessels, the imperial workshops in Beijing cast a wide range of ornamental and functional bronzes for the Qing court. Court archives show that bronze artistic works


MORE INFORMATION


Ritual vessel (xizun), Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong mark and period (1736-95), bronze, height 38.6 cm, diameter 11 cm, courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing


(1678-


Wanted for a Private Collection Former foreign correspondent in Asia would like to donate or


Copy of ‘Jianzhao’ goose-foot lamp by Zhang Tingji, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), dated 1838, bronze, height 14.3 cm, courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing


put up for long lease his collection of about 1,000 Asian religious artworks – mainly Buddhist and Hindu but also Asian Muslim, Asian Catholic, Daoist, Jain, Shinto, and primitive religious pieces.


The collection includes Gandharan, Pala, and Khmer works. There is also an excellent selection of Thai, Chinese, Tibetan, and Burmese Buddhas.


Another collection comprises old postcards of Asian temples along with postcards of large models of Anchor Wat in Paris and Marseilles.


These items are to be donated or leased to a museum or educational institution. The organization must have someone who is knowledgeable in Asian art who can serve as the curator.


Photographs on request, however, in order to be considered


the organization must send a representative to see and discuss the collection. Location: East Coast of USA.


Alternately, I would like to be in contact with other major collectors of Asian religious art who have similar desires to donate their collections. Perhaps we can donate together.


Rock landscape with rectangular planter ‘Floating Bridge of Dreams’ (Yume-no-ukihashi), Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), 14th century, bronze, rock, rock: 4.4 x 29.1 cm; planter 7.9 x 11 x 36.4 cm, courtesy of Tokugawa Art Museum


Interested parties should contact: Buddhistartoffer@gmail.com ASIAN ART | APRIL 2025


Organisations or Institutions


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