The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Cylindrical Container with Cover (Lian)

Cylindrical Container with Cover (Lian)

100 BCE–100 CE
(202 BCE–220 CE)
gilt bronze with openwork and chased designs
Diameter: 16 cm (6 5/16 in.); Overall: 17.2 cm (6 3/4 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1972.44
Location: 241B Arts of Ancient China

Description

This magnificent gilded bronze vessel with openwork decoration shows all kinds of fabulous creatures, real and imaginary, chasing each other among swirling scrolls. There is an emphasis on the unbroken rhythms of movement, rather than the ferocity of animals in combat. Cylindrical bronze vessels in this shape, called lian, were often used as cosmetic boxes.
  • ?-1972
    (Robert H. Ellsworth, Ltd., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1972-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1972.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 60, no. 3, 1973, pp. 63–115. Mentioned: p. 115, no. 309 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 333 archive.org
  • Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
  • {{cite web|title=Cylindrical Container with Cover (Lian)|url=false|author=|year=100 BCE–100 CE|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.44