Curly Mouse

Curly Mouse

The Curly Mouse is an artwork from the second half of the 19th century, currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This artwork is a redwood sculpture shaped like a curled mouse. This piece is the work of Japanese woodcarver Masao Suzuki (1815-1890), known for his intricate details and vivid expressiveness.
Bowl with 'Willow Vine'

Bowl with 'Willow Vine'

The blue glazed pottery bowl is a 12th century pottery item currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This work is a bowl decorated with a "willow vine" pattern. It is a part of Rayy Ware, a type of pottery from the Seljuk period in Iran (1038-1194). This period may be the most creative era in Persian pottery production. In addition to gold-plated vessels, minai vessels, and monochrome blue glaze, underglaze painted pottery was also produced. These bowls represent a popular variation of black design painted under transparent turquoise colored glaze.
Green glazed pottery bowl

Green glazed pottery bowl

The blue glazed pottery bowl is a 12th century pottery item currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This work is a bowl with a blue glaze. It is a part of Rayy Ware, a type of pottery from the Seljuk period in Iran (1038-1194). This period may be the most creative era in Persian pottery production. In addition to gold-plated vessels, minai vessels, and monochrome blue glaze, underglaze painted pottery was also produced. These bowls represent a popular variation of black design painted under transparent turquoise colored glaze.
The Bird in the Leaves

The Bird in the Leaves

The Bird in the Leaf is a mosaic art from Türkiye, which is currently collected in the Minneapolis Museum of Art. The theme of this work is birds and plants, showcasing the Islamic art style of the 4th and 5th centuries.
A Kashan pottery kettle in the shape of a ram

A Kashan pottery kettle in the shape of a ram

The "Ram shaped Kashan pottery kettle" is a 13th century Iranian artwork currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This artwork is a water kettle shaped like a ram. This work is part of the Kashan pottery, using transparent turquoise colored glaze and black underglaze painted decoration. Although there are relatively few circular ceramic sculptures in Islamic art, decorative patterns were popular on metal and ceramic vessels in Iran and Türkiye during the Seljuk rule. The shape of a bull is the most common, but there are also vessels in the shape of camels, rams, and lions.
Minneapolis Museum of Art Double Eagle Wine Jar

Minneapolis Museum of Art Double Eagle Wine Jar

It is an ancient artifact from the 12th to 11th centuries BC, shaped like two eagle heads facing each other. This artifact may have been used in religious ceremonies or as a symbol of power, as eagles symbolize strength and freedom in many cultures. They may be used as containers, and sometimes as decorations or gifts. The design of the Double Eagle not only showcases the superb craftsmanship of the craftsmen at that time, but also reflects the artistic style and social beliefs of that era. These types of artifacts were discovered during archaeological excavations, providing valuable physical evidence for our understanding of ancient civilizations. Now collected at the Minneapolis Museum of Art.
Western Zhou Yu

Western Zhou Yu

Yu "is an ancient Chinese vessel used to hold wine. Its exact appearance time is unknown, but it was popular during the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties. At that time, it was used to hold wine, so most of its appearance was round or oval, with feet or foot rings at the bottom, and exquisite craftsmanship patterns carved around it.
Statues of buried figures, dancers

Statues of buried figures, dancers

This cultural relic is a painted pottery piece called "Statue of a buried figure, depicting a dancer performing", created between 618-906 AD. This statue is currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. The height of this statue is about 20 centimeters. Painted pottery and white talc were used as materials. This statue was bequeathed to the Minneapolis Museum of Art by Alfred F. Piersbury. This statue represents the top ceramic technology of China from the 7th to the 10th century.
Qing Dynasty Jade Carving Autumn Mountain Traveler

Qing Dynasty Jade Carving Autumn Mountain Traveler

In this mountain view, an official riding a donkey is followed by his attendant, holding an umbrella; They crossed a simple bridge over the waterfall. Above them, a smaller similar group seemed to be crossing another bridge in a distant place. This type of Yushan originated in the late Ming Dynasty. The characters, trees, bridges, and animals in the background represent the traditional translation of jade carving in orthodox landscape painting. In the paintings of this period, many similar depictions of scholars traveling or contemplating mountain scenery can be found. The theme of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature is favored by Taoists and literati. The sculpture is currently collected in
Burial figure statue pipa

Burial figure statue pipa

This cultural relic is a painted pottery piece called "Statue of a Buried Figure, depicting a musician playing", created between 618-906 AD. This statue is currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. The height of this statue is about 20 centimeters. Painted pottery and white talc were used as materials. This statue was bequeathed to the Minneapolis Museum of Art by Alfred F. Piersbury. This statue represents the top ceramic technology of China from the 7th to the 10th century.
Burial figures statue bamboo flute

Burial figures statue bamboo flute

This cultural relic is a painted pottery piece called "Statue of a Burial Figure, depicting a musician playing a bamboo flute", created between 618-906 AD. This statue is currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. The height of this statue is about 20 centimeters. Painted pottery and white talc were used as materials. This statue was bequeathed to the Minneapolis Museum of Art by Alfred F. Piersbury. This statue represents the top ceramic technology of China from the 7th to the 10th century.
Bronze Lion Incense Burner in Qing Dynasty Temples

Bronze Lion Incense Burner in Qing Dynasty Temples

The "Bronze Lion Incense Burner in Qing Dynasty Temple" is a pair of 17th century Chinese cultural relics, currently collected at the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This lion shaped incense burner is a guard lion, and each of these auspicious beasts (Lin) has a unicorn. They are mythical animals endowed with the ability to distinguish between good and evil. These legendary animals appear in pairs and are used to stand on both sides of the imperial throne in the Forbidden City, representing the dignity, virtues, and wisdom of the royal family.
Maitreya Bodhisattva Stele

Maitreya Bodhisattva Stele

The Maitreya Bodhisattva Stele is a Chinese cultural relic dating back to 563 AD, currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This cultural relic is made of black limestone and has traces of paint. This exquisitely carved stone tablet, although small in scale, displays a complete image of the same theme as a large Buddha statue. In addition to the Maitreya Buddha statue in the center, the engraved halo, and the bodhisattvas on both sides, there are also flying celestial beings and dragons on the flame shaped backs at the top and bottom. The back of the stone tablet is engraved with a 69 character inscription, listing the names of the donors who commissioned the production of this work and dedicated it in 563.
Western Zhou bronze lamp holder

Western Zhou bronze lamp holder

The "Western Zhou Bronze Man Lamp Holder" is a Chinese cultural relic from the 5th to 4th centuries BC, currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This cultural relic is made of bronze and embedded with metal. This small and exquisite figure statue has outstretched hands, and its curled fingers form a socket that was originally used to insert the pole of an oil lamp. During the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties (1600-771 BC), bronze figures were very rare, but now several bronze figures have been excavated from Zhou tombs in the late Warring States period as lamp sockets.
Qing Dynasty cinnabar lacquer snuff pottery pot

Qing Dynasty cinnabar lacquer snuff pottery pot

The "Qing Dynasty cinnabar lacquered snuff pottery pot" is a Chinese cultural relic from 1780-1850 AD, currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This cultural relic is made of ceramics and decorated with cinnabar paint on the outside.
Bronze wine vessels for sacrificial offerings in the Shang Dynasty

Bronze wine vessels for sacrificial offerings in the Shang Dynasty

The "Shang Dynasty Sacrificial Wine Vessel" is a Chinese cultural relic dating back to the 12th to 11th centuries BC, currently housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This cultural relic is made of bronze. Its dimensions are 27.62 × 12.7 × 11.75 centimeters and it weighs 1.3 kilograms.
Eastern Zhou copper bronze bell

Eastern Zhou copper bronze bell

This cultural relic is a copper musical instrument called the "Chinese Bronze Bell", made from the late 6th century BC to the early 5th century BC, and is now collected at the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. The shape of this bell is called "xi", which is one of the two common bell shapes found in tombs of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. The "Liu" clock has a flat bottom, slightly convex sides, and a decorative hanging device at the top, usually featuring stylized animal images that can emit a single tone. The decoration of this clock is very rich. There are 36 evenly distributed protrusions on the clock body, shaped like coiled snakes. The suspension device is a pair of tigers wrapped around a snake.
During the Qianlong period, a copper gilded incense burner with inlaid gemstones and auspicious beasts was used

During the Qianlong period, a copper gilded incense burner with inlaid gemstones and auspicious beasts was used

This incense burner is made using copper gilding technology and is shaped like a mythical beast. The incense burner has an open mouth, with the neck and back of the beast integrated into one. The animal body is the main body of the incense burner, with the tail curled up and the head looking up. The mouth is open and the teeth are exposed. The details are carved using intaglio and relief techniques, decorated with red, white, green and other colored gemstones. The beast is magnificent and colorful, with a majestic expression. The carving is exquisite, the image is realistic, and it exudes a sense of elegance and wealth. The history of incense burning has a long history in China, and the famous Boshan furnace in the Han Dynasty was designed by people for incense burning. Produced between 1736-1795, it is now housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States.
Bronze Turkic wine jar

Bronze Turkic wine jar

The Turkic wine jar is a 5th century BC wine vessel, now housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. This storage container is part of an important hunting scene for the Hu people. They showcase the influence of nomadic art in northern China. The four main straps depict scenes of men hunting birds, deer, wild boars, and tigers with spears, knives, and bows and arrows. These pictorial scenes depicting human activities represent a revolutionary change in bronze art.
Zhou Dynasty Three legged Cauldron

Zhou Dynasty Three legged Cauldron

This cultural relic is a three legged tripod, a bronze vessel, and its ceramic prototype can be traced back to the Peiligang culture of the Neolithic Age. In the early Shang Dynasty (1600-1300 BC), bronze versions of the flat footed tripod began to be cast. Ding is an ancient Chinese cooking or storage vessel, usually with two handles located at the edges, supported by three or four cylindrical legs. The shape of the tripod was almost ubiquitous in early China, including ceramic vessels from the Neolithic period and bronze vessels from the Shang Dynasty, as well as many later imitations of bronze and glazed pottery. This artifact is housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art.
Cloisonn é vase during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty

Cloisonn é vase during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty

This is a Qing Dynasty cloisonn é vase, now collected at the Minneapolis Museum of Art in the United States. Cloisonn é technology was introduced to China from Byzantium (now Istanbul) between 1200 and 1400 AD, but Chinese craftsmen endowed it with unique Chinese characteristics. During the reigns of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) and Emperor Qianlong (1736-95) of the Qing Dynasty, the craft of cloisonn é was perfected and reached its artistic peak. At the bottom of the vase, there is a delicate moire band. Each moire is like Ruyi's head, and there is a narrow lotus curl.
Qing Dynasty cloisonn é cloisonn é enamel lotus pedestal

Qing Dynasty cloisonn é cloisonn é enamel lotus pedestal

The Qing Dynasty cloisonn é cloisonn é enamel lotus pedestal is made of copper wire cut into various patterned contours, then filled with enamel glazes of different colors. After firing, polishing and other processes, it finally forms a brightly colored and exquisitely patterned artwork. These paintings often depict Buddhist scriptures, images of saints, or religious symbols, which not only have high artistic value, but also carry profound religious and cultural significance.
Gilded Bodhisattva Statues of Qing Dynasty

Gilded Bodhisattva Statues of Qing Dynasty

The artifact is one of a pair of gilded bodhisattva statues from 18th century AD China. It is now housed in the Minneapolis Museum of Art. Although the two statues are mirror images of each other, they do not represent the same bodhisattva; they are Maitreya and Guanyin, respectively. They stand in elegant poses, holding the stems of a lotus flower, probably part of a sculptural trinity that surrounds a larger Buddha.
Late merchant bronze three-legged jue wine vessel

Late merchant bronze three-legged jue wine vessel

Jue is a vessel used in ancient China to serve warm wine in ancestor worship rituals. It is ovoid and supported by three spreading triangular legs, with a long curved beak on one side and a balanced handle on the other. Many examples have one or two ring handles on the sides and two column protrusions on the top, which may be used to enable people to lift the vessel with a belt. They are usually gorgeously decorated and have gluttonous decorations.