NEW YORK - Chinese bronzes made from the 12th to the 19th century are an important but often overlooked category of Chinese art. In ancient China, bronze vessels were emblems of ritual and power. A millennium later, in the period from 1100 to 1900, such vessels were rediscovered as embodiments of a long-lost golden age that was worthy of study and emulation. This “return to the past” (fugu) was part of a widespread phenomenon across all the arts to reclaim the virtues of a classical tradition. An important aspect of this phenomenon was the revival of bronze casting as a major art form. While archaic bronzes were used as containers for food or wine, these so-called “later bronzes” adapted antique shapes and decorative motifs to serve new functions as incense burners, flower vases, and all types of scholar objects. Later Chinese bronzes, however, have long been stigmatized as poor imitations of ancient bronzes rather than being seen as fundamentally new creations with their own aesthetic and functional character.

From important bronzes to a complementary selection of works including painting, calligraphy, ceramics, lacquers, and jades, the exhibition draws on an international array of loans to redress the previous misunderstanding of later Chinese bronzes. Some 100 pieces from The Met collection will be augmented by nearly 100 loans from major institutions in China, Japan, Korea, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States to present the most comprehensive narrative of the ongoing importance of bronzes as an art medium throughout China’s long history.

The exhibition is made possible by the Florence and Herbert Irving Fund for Asian Art Exhibitions and the Joseph Hotung Fund.

February 28–September 28, 2025

Bronze ‘taihe’ bell, note ‘Jiazhong’, Song dynasty, c. 1105, reinscribed c. 1174. Bronze. H. 22.8 cm. Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

Tripod incense burner, Song dynasty (960-1279), late 11th-early 12th century. Glazed stoneware (Ru ware). H. 15.3 cm; Diam. 24.8 cm. Courtesy of the British Museum.

Vase with archaistic design, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), 14th century. Bronze. H. 39.4 cm; Diam. 20.3 cm; Diam. of rim 11.1 cm; Diam. of foot 14.3 cm. Purchase, Brooke Russel Astor Bequest, 2014, 2014.449. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Rock landscape with rectangular planter 'Floating Bridge of the Dreams' (Yume-no-ukihashi), Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), 14th century. Bronze, rock. Rock: H. 4.4 cm; L. 29.1 cm. Planter: H. 7.9 cm; W. 11 cm; L. 36.4 cm. Courtesy of Tokugawa Art Museum.

Bronze incense burner in the form of a goose, Ming dynasty, early 15th century. Bronze. H. 36.8 cm; W. 47.6 cm. Purchase. The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2020, 2020.335.a, b. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bronze water dropper in the form of a rhinoceros, Ming dynasty, 15th century. Bronze. H. 5.4 cm; W. 12.7 cm; D. 4.8 cm. Purchase. The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2015, 2015294. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ritual vessel (xizun), Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong mark and period (1736–95). Bronze. H. 38.6 cm; Diam. 11 cm. Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Archaic-style vase with fish and birds, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong mark and period (1736–95). Jade (nephrite). H. 31.8 cm; Diam. 21 cm; W. (at ring handles) 18.4 cm. Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015, 2015.500.5.19, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Copy of "Jianzhao" goose-foot lamp by Zhang Tingji, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), dated 1838. Bronze. H. 14.3 cm. Courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing