Ewer by Rihei

Ewer 15th-16th century

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metal, bronze, sculpture

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medieval

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metal

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asian-art

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bronze

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sculptural image

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sculpture

Dimensions: 10 1/2 × 7 1/8 × 5 1/8 in. (26.67 × 18.1 × 13.02 cm)

Copyright: Public Domain

This bronze Ewer was created by Rihei. Take a close look at the surface of this vessel. You can almost feel the patinated sheen of the bronze in your fingertips. The handle and lid are cast with dragon motifs, a testament to the skills required to work with molten metal. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, a combination that gives it both strength and workability. Consider the amount of labor involved in this object. From the extraction of the raw materials to the forming of the vessel, many hands would have been involved in the production of this object. The dark, lustrous surface is the result of careful polishing and patination, skills that are passed down through generations of artisans. Ultimately, it is the convergence of material, process, and cultural meaning that elevates this ewer from a mere object to a work of art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart's Profile Picture
minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

Long-necked ewers, sometimes referred to by their Sanskrit name kundika, are used to sprinkle water during a variety of Buddhist rituals in East Asia. This rare example features a dragon coiling up the handle toward a supernatural chimera (an elephant-tiger-oxen hybrid known as a baku) crouching atop the lid.

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