Minneapolis Institute of Art

Imperial candlestick

China

Date

Yongzheng period, 1723–1735

Medium

Bronze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Standard ritual bronzes cast for the altar comprise five vessels ( wu gang ), a censer, two candlesticks, and a pair of vases. Early woodblock prints depict these objects formally arranged in a line across the altar table with the censer used as a centerpiece flanked by candlesticks with the vases at the two ends. Ritual bronze vessels like these, made for the imperial palaces and temples, were governed by state regulations under a section titled, Rules for Making Sacrificial Vessels and Ornaments for Temple Use. The archaistic décor including taotie masks and cicada blades against a spiral ground is a revival of a Song dynasty (960-1279) style which was itself an interpretation of ancient Shang and Zhou (16th c. - 221 BCE) ritual bronzes. Each vessel of this large and important set bears the six-character reign mark of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-35), and the censer and candlesticks bear the additional characters jingzhi (made with reverence). China, Asia

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