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Chinese bronze relics on exhibition in Chicago

From:China Daily NetWriter:Zhang KunDate:2018-03-06
n ongoing exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago features ancient bronze objects from China, including more than 30 pieces from Shanghai Museum.


The exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The exhibition, called Mirroring China's Past: Emperors, Scholars and their Bronzes, consists of 180 objects, the majority of which are loaned from the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Shanghai Museum, as well as important museums and private collections in the US.


An artifact showcased at an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago that features ancient bronze objects from China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]


The exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

While most bronze sculptures in ancient Greece and Rome depicted humans and animals, the majority of those from ancient China (c. 2000–221 BC) were vessels originally fashioned for cooking, drinking and serving food. Found primarily in tombs and sometimes in hoards, these works were originally used as sacrifices to ancestors, accompaniment for the deceased in the underworld, or as items to commemorate ancestors and lineages in public ceremonies.


The exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Many of these artifacts can be traced back to the collections amassed by China's emperors and eminent scholars.

One of the artifacts on exhibition is the tripod cauldron Shi Yin Li from the Palace Museum in Beijing. It is known as the largest vessel of its kind that still exists today.


An artifact showcased at an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago that features ancient bronze objects from China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]


An artifact showcased at an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago that features ancient bronze objects from China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]


An artifact showcased at an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago that features ancient bronze objects from China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wang Tao, curator of the exhibition and executive director of initiatives in Asia at the Art Institute of Chicago, hopes that the exhibition can illuminate China's past and present and provide viewers with a new understanding of ancient bronze relics and their significance.