Money tree, Eastern Han period (25-220), Sichuan province. Bronze with glazed earthenware base. H. 175.2 cm x Diam. 50.8 cm (overall); H. 56.5 cm x W. 31.7 cm (base only). Gift of the Connoisseurs' Council, 1995.79.a-.dd. © 2025 Asian Art Museum

Money trees are rare; most appear to have come from Sichuan province of southwestern China. They offer a fascinating glimpse into regional and metropolitan Han beliefs. The replicas of coins that hang from the limbs of this tree symbolize wishes for abundance and good fortune in the afterlife. The tree would have been placed in a tomb in the hope that the soul of the occupant would have wealth while residing in the paradise of the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) at Mount Kunlun.

The main figure near the top is the Queen Mother, who sits on a throne supported by a dragon and a tiger. Farther down the tree is a seated Buddha, right underneath the portal to heaven guarded by two celestial figures. Early Buddha images are found in some objects associated with the Queen Mother, perhaps because Buddhism was a religion of the west, the direction in which she resided. A number of winged immortals (xian), the residents of the Queen Mother’s paradise, can also be seen on this tree. The precise control of piece-mold casting of the many individual pieces makes this ensemble remarkable. Also, take a close look at the glazed pottery base and you will see lively and intimate scenes of the type often found in regional art of the time.