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Artist/Maker
Unknown artist, Chinese
Date206 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 7 in. × 8 3/4 in. × 7 5/8 in. (17.8 × 22.2 × 19.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of James Taylor Dunn, Class of 1936, in memory of William G. Roehrick, '34
Object number1995.70a-b
Not on view
DescriptionThis openwork bronze censer (Xianglu) dates to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). Surface patina suggests that it was unearthed from burial, possibly a tomb. The censer is welded and pinned rather than cast as one piece, demonstrating joinery processes introduced to China during the Warring States period (475 BCE to 221 BCE). Bronze wares began to take on animal forms during this period due to contact with nomadic Sino-Siberian tribes. This piece in particular is in the form of a flamboyant, long-tailed bird with many smaller bird vestiges throughout. The bird might represent a luan, an auspicious bird of paradise and omen of peace used as tribute to King Cheng of Zhou. The luan is related to, but not to be confused with the Taoist icon, the phoenix, called fenghuang in China and bonghwang in Korea. The Persian equivalent to the luan is the simurgh, referenced in the poem, The Canticle of the Birds. Luan-birds are known for their spontaneous song and dance capabilities. Elusive, they are only found during times of societal prosperity.
Collections
Additional Details
Exhibition History
2024-2025
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).
2015
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Seek and Find," September 1, 2015 - ongoing (no cat., brochure).
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).
2015
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Seek and Find," September 1, 2015 - ongoing (no cat., brochure).
Provenance
1995: Hamilton College (Fred L. Emerson Gallery), by gift of James Taylor Dunn, Class of 1936;
1943-1995: James Taylor Dunn, by purchase from Yamanaka & Company, Inc.
1943-1995: James Taylor Dunn, by purchase from Yamanaka & Company, Inc.
Date: c. 883-859 B.C.E.
Medium: Gypsum with remnants of red pigment
Object number: 1868.5
Unknown artist, Chinese
Date: c. 618-907 C.E.
Medium: Red clay with remnants of pigment
Object number: 1994.58
Date: c. 760 B.C.E.
Medium: Gypsum
Object number: 1868.6
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Date: 1776
Medium: Etching
Object number: 1987.14
Dorothy Shakespear
Date: c. 1914-1919
Medium: Watercolor and graphite on paper
Object number: 1994.200
Dorothy Shakespear
Date: 1937
Medium: Watercolor on paper, mounted on cardboard
Object number: 1996.10
Dorothy Shakespear
Date: 1919
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Object number: 1994.94
Maria Poveka Martinez
Date: c. 1925-43
Medium: San Ildefonso black-on-black terracotta
Object number: 2018.3.4
Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds
Date: 1990
Medium: Pastel on paper
Object number: 2020.6.2
Unknown artist, Chinese
Date: c. 960-1126 C.E.
Medium: Stoneware with qingbai glaze
Object number: 1993.12.1a-b
Unknown artist, Chinese
Date: c. 960-1126 C.E.
Medium: Stoneware with qingbai glaze
Object number: 1993.12.2a-b