Hanging Lamp in the Shape of a Foreigner in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2017

Hanging Lamp in the Shape of a Foreigner


Object Details

Period: Eastern Han dynasty (25–220)

Culture: China

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: H. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm); L. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm)
Lamp: Diam. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Lent by Hunan Provincial Museum


Commerce with Asia and the Mediterranean not only brought exotic goods to China but also led to contact with foreign peoples, who became a popular subject in art. This figural lamp has identifiably non-Chinese features: deep eye sockets, a high-ridged nose, and curly hair tied in a topknot. His hollow body served as the fuel chamber, and a small aperture in his chest allowed fuel to flow into the circular tray. Among the numerous lamps excavated in China, this is the only known example to have chains, which points to the influence of the Mediterranean, where hanging lamps were prevalent.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/640958