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Water Basin: Pan

Possibly 20th century

China

Bronze core plated with silver, the silver engraved and gilded

H. 3 x Diam. 20 in. (7.6 x 50.8 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.108

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The dating of this large Chinese ritual water basin of the pan type is one of the more perplexing issues in the study of the collection. The immortals and mythical creatures that decorate this vessel derive from the art of the southern state of Qu, one of the most intriguing societies in China during the latter part of the Eastern Zhou period (770 - 221 B.C.E.). Qu artistic traditions were influential at the Han-dynasty court (206 B.C.E. - C.E. 220), where bronzes with decoration inlaid into their surfaces comparable to that of this basin were fairly common. However, a preliminary scientific analysis of the basin shows that the chemical composition of the metal is similar to bronzes attributed to works of Zhou Meike, who is believed to have been active in the Suzhou region around 1910. Further study of this piece is necessary before a final determination of its attribution and date can be made.