Weight in the shape of a chimera
This miniature sculpture was originally used as a mat weight, a functional ornament in ancient China. Typically appearing in sets of four, such weights held down the corners of mats that were positioned on the floor or over low-footed daybeds—a common form of seating. In later periods, these ancient treasures were repurposed as paperweights and produced for scholar’s studios.
Artwork Details
- 漢 銅鎏金神獸鎮
- Title: Weight in the shape of a chimera
- Period: Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
- Date: 2nd century BCE
- Culture: China
- Medium: Bronze, gilding, gold and turquoise inlays
- Dimensions: H. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm); Diam. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork
- Credit Line: Purchase, Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Bequest; Gifts of Robert E. Tod, Mrs. Donald V. Lowe, John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, William B. Osgood Field, and Margaret and Raymond J. Horowitz, by exchange, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.217
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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China
2nd–1st century BCE
China
ca. 2nd–1st century BCE
On loan to The Met
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2nd century BCE
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4th–3rd century BCE
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