9-3/16 in. (diam. including handles)
Gift of Professor and Mrs. R. Norris Shreve
Asian Art (Chinese and other Asian)
Professor & Mrs. R. Norris Shreve; given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1971.
People treasure ancient ritual vessels as much for being from a revered past as for their appearance.
Artists of different time periods use established motifs or recreate them in different ways.
The ancient bronze has bands with spiral and eye motifs; the later cloisonné depicts a face in a colorful, decorative manner; and the more recent nephrite vessel uses less detail in its bands of décor.
Different materials, different times: An object's design encodes its time; think of how automobiles have changed over time.Eggshell-thin ceramic vessels with polished surfaces appeared at the end of the Neolithic period. In the ensuing Bronze Age (middle example), metal was the preferred choice for ritual chalices.Â
The later blue vase recalls past shapes, but glaze color takes center stage, allowing designs-a possible distraction to the appreciation of color-to be omitted.
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