Cylindrical Container with Cover (Lian)
Unknown Artist
100 BCE–100 CE
Medium
gilt bronze with openwork and chased designs
Dimensions
h. 17.2 cm · diam. 16 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1972.44
About this artwork
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.