Ornament with Two Dancers in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,July 2017

Ornament with Two Dancers

China


Object Details

西汉 青铜鎏金双人盘舞饰件

Title: Ornament with Two Dancers

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

Culture: China

Medium: Gilt bronze

Dimensions: H. 4 3/4 in. (12 cm); W. 7 5/16 in. (18.5 cm)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Lent by Yunnan Provincial Museum


This ornament depicts two figures dancing atop a sinuous snake. Often interpreted as a sacred animal in the Dian culture, the snake is a common motif in the arts of the Yunnan region, where this object was discovered. The snake also functions as a design device to organically connect the figures and stabilize the composition.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/640965