A01=Pengliang Lu
altar sets
antiquity
Author_Pengliang Lu
bell
black bronzes
brush rests
Category=AGA
censers
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
exhibition catalogue
ink rubbings
inlay
met museum
Ming dynasty
paperweight
qing dynasty
ritual
sculpture
shanghai museum
song dynasty
water droppers
Yuan dynasty
Product details
- ISBN 9781588397904
- Dimensions: 241 x 279mm
- Publication Date: 11 Mar 2025
- Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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A reappraisal of the often-overlooked Chinese bronzes made from the twelfth through nineteenth centuries, demonstrating their profound impact on Chinese art and culture
Bronze vessels were the ultimate emblems of power in ancient China. Beginning in the twelfth century, the rediscovery of ancient bronzes as evidence of an earlier golden age led to a revival of bronze casting. This publication is the first comprehensive study of these later Chinese bronzes in archaic styles, which were commissioned by emperors and officials from the twelfth through the nineteenth centuries to assert political legitimacy and alignment with traditional values. Redressing the misconception that these works were mere imitations of the ancient vessels they emulated, Recasting the Past demonstrates that they were in fact creative reinterpretations of antique shapes and decorative motifs that were fundamentally new creations with their own aesthetic and functional character. Featuring nearly two hundred objects, many never before published—including ceremonial bells, incense burners, flower vases, ritual vessels, and writing utensils—Pengliang Lu explores their cultural and political significance from the Song dynasty through the Qing dynasty and shows their enormous influence on Chinese art and culture.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(February 28–September 28, 2025)
Shanghai Museum
(November 11, 2025–March 16, 2026)
Bronze vessels were the ultimate emblems of power in ancient China. Beginning in the twelfth century, the rediscovery of ancient bronzes as evidence of an earlier golden age led to a revival of bronze casting. This publication is the first comprehensive study of these later Chinese bronzes in archaic styles, which were commissioned by emperors and officials from the twelfth through the nineteenth centuries to assert political legitimacy and alignment with traditional values. Redressing the misconception that these works were mere imitations of the ancient vessels they emulated, Recasting the Past demonstrates that they were in fact creative reinterpretations of antique shapes and decorative motifs that were fundamentally new creations with their own aesthetic and functional character. Featuring nearly two hundred objects, many never before published—including ceremonial bells, incense burners, flower vases, ritual vessels, and writing utensils—Pengliang Lu explores their cultural and political significance from the Song dynasty through the Qing dynasty and shows their enormous influence on Chinese art and culture.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(February 28–September 28, 2025)
Shanghai Museum
(November 11, 2025–March 16, 2026)
Pengliang Lu is Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
