On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Lamp in the shape of a recumbent tiger
Not on view
This imposing bronze lamp illustrates a critical moment in the history of Chinese art, when the depiction of animals and figures evolved from stylized two-dimensional decorative motifs to naturalistic sculptures in the round. Not art for art’s sake, such sculptural images retained a functional purpose. When the hinged back of this powerful tiger is opened, it becomes an oil lamp with a place for a wick to connect to the reservoir in the tiger’s body.
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