Cowry Container with a Scene of Sacrifice in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2017

Cowry Container with Scene of Sacrifice

Object Details

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

Culture: China

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: Overall H. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm); Diam. of cover 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Lent by Lijiashan Museum of Bronzes

Thirty-five sculpted figures create a dense composition on this container’s cover. Escorted by two mounted horsemen and flanked by servants, a gilded female sits on a palanquin. The gilding may indicate a higher status. One kneeling female, possibly a servant, holds a parasol, while another female and two males wield a shovel and sowing tools; the group may signal an agricultural ritual. The remaining figures, scattered around the rim, comprise what appears to be a market scene. The figures were likely cast separately and then soldered to the cover.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/696838