Vessel in the Form of a Heavenly Rooster

Vessel in the Form of a Heavenly Rooster

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Containers in the shape of a rooster carrying a vessel on its back are an invention of Song dynasty (960–1279) antiquarians, who believed that such ritual vessels existed in the classical age of ancient China. Several bronzes similar to this one were catalogued as “heavenly rooster vessels” (tianjizun) in the collection of Emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–95), who had a deep interest in antiquarianism. The term “heavenly rooster” comes from a Chinese legend about a mythical bird whose crowing awakens the whole world.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Vessel in the Form of a Heavenly RoosterVessel in the Form of a Heavenly RoosterVessel in the Form of a Heavenly RoosterVessel in the Form of a Heavenly RoosterVessel in the Form of a Heavenly Rooster

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.