Basin with birds in a lotus pond

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 210

Large bronze basins functioned as water containers for daily use and can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). While the artist here drew inspiration from the traditional basin form, he modeled the tightly arranged lotus pond with birds after the popular motif used to decorate blue-and-white porcelain since the Yuan dynasty.

Basin with birds in a lotus pond, Copper alloy, China

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Basin with birds in a lotus pond, Copper alloy, China
Basin with birds in a lotus pond, Copper alloy, China

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