Minneapolis Institute of Art

House Shrine

China

Date

18th-19th century

Medium

Wood, lacquer, paint, metal

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The family shrine ( kan ) was an important piece of furniture in a traditional Chinese household. Usually displayed on an altar table against the rear wall of the main reception hall, the shrine itself was often made in the form of a traditional three bay hall complete with hinged doors, tile roof, and decorative brackets. Placed inside the shrine were the spirit tablets of the ancestors. It was believed that the souls of the ancestors resided in the tablets bearing their name and that they had the power to influence the fortune of their living descendants. Ancestral spirits were appraised of all important family events like betrothals, marriages, and the births of sons. Accurately depicting the details of traditional post-and-beam architecture, this domestic shrine probably comes from Shanxi province. China, Asia

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