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Box with Lid

2nd century BC

Not on view

Each half of this box resembles a phiale, a type of lobed bowl from Achaemenid Persia (550–330 B.C.) that was common in western Asia during the Hellenistic period (323–31 B.C.), a time of frequent exchange between the Parthians and the Greeks. While the hammering technique points to a Persian origin, the combination of two bowls into a lidded box is found in neither the Iranian nor the Greek world. The box is, rather, an example of Chinese artists finding innovative uses for imported works.

Box with Lid, Parcel-gilt silver, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

西汉银鎏金水滴纹圆盒

Title: Box with Lid

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Date: 2nd century BC

Culture: China

Medium: Parcel-gilt silver

Dimensions: H. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm); Diam. 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm); Diam.of rim 5 3/16 in. (13.2 cm); Diam. of foot 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm)

Classification: Silver

Credit Line: Lent by Nanjing Museum

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.