The Met: Chinese Bronze Art from the 12th to the 19th Century / February 28th to September 28, 2025

Installation view of Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900, on view February 28–September 28, 2025 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Paul Lachenauer, Courtesy of The Met

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From important bronzes to a selection of works including painting, calligraphy, ceramics, lacquers, and jades, the exhibition draws on an international array of loans to demonstrate the continuing importance of bronze throughout China’s later history

In ancient China, bronze vessels were emblems of ritual and power. A millennium later, in the period from 1100 to 1900, such vessels were rediscovered as embodiments of a long-lost golden age that was worthy of study and emulation. This “return to the past” (fugu) was part of a widespread phenomenon across all the arts to reclaim the virtues of a classical tradition. An important aspect of this phenomenon was the revival of bronze casting as a major art form. Opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 28, 2025, Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900 aims to be the most comprehensive study of Chinese bronzes during this period. This exhibition, co-organized by The Met and the Shanghai Museum, where it will open following its display in New York, will present the new aesthetic represented by these creative adaptations of the past, while exploring their cultural and political significance throughout China’s long history.

The exhibition is made possible by the Florence and Herbert Irving Fund for Asian Art Exhibitions and the Joseph Hotung Fund.

Transportation is provided by China Eastern Airlines.

Additional support is provided by American Friends of the Shanghai Museum, Burrows Foundation, and The Dillon Fund.

The exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Shanghai Museum.

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Exhibition Dates:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: February 28–September 28, 2025

Shanghai Museum: November 12, 2025–March 16, 2026

Exhibition Location:
The Met Fifth Avenue,
Douglas Dillon Galleries 209–218, 2nd floor

www.metmuseum.org

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Chinese Bronze Art from the 12th to the 19th Century

Incense Burner in the Form of a Goose. China, Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644, early 15th century Bronze. H. 14.5″ / W. 18 3/34″. Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2020 | 2020.335a.b. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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The Met Presents the Most Comprehensive Exhibition of Chinese Bronze Art from the 12th to the 19th Century

“While bronze as an art form has long held a significant role throughout China’s history, this exhibition explores an often-overlooked time period when a resurgence of craftsmanship and artistic achievements revitalized the medium,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Bringing together major loans from institutions in China alongside works from The Met collection, this exhibition offers viewers an important opportunity to better understand the lasting aesthetic and cultural impact of bronze objects.”

The exhibition is divided into five thematic and chronological sections that explicate over 200 works of art—an array of bronze vessels complemented by a selection of paintings, ceramics, jades, and other media. Some 100 pieces from The Met collection are augmented by nearly 100 loans from major institutions in China, Japan, Korea, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States to present the most comprehensive narrative of the ongoing importance of bronzes as an art medium throughout China’s long history. Featured in the exhibition are around 60 loans from institutions in China, including major works such as a monumental 12th-century bell with imperial procession from the Liaoning Provincial Museum, documented ritual bronzes for Confucian temples from the Shanghai Museum, and luxury archaistic vessels made in the 18th- century imperial workshop from the Palace Museum, Beijing.

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Archaic-style vase with firsh and birds. China, Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911), Qianlong mark and period (1736 – 95). Jade (nephrite). 12.5 inches tall, 8 1/4 inches in Diameter, 7 1/4 inches width at handles. Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015. 2015.500.5.19 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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The exhibition begins with the section “Reconstructing Ancient Rites,” which introduces how emperors and scholar-officials commissioned ritual bronzes from the 12th to the 16th century as part of an effort to restore and align themselves with antique ceremonies and rites. The exhibition continues with “Experimenting with Styles,” illustrating how the form, decoration, and function of ancient bronzes were creatively reinterpreted from the 13th to the 15th century. The next section, “Establishing New Standards,” will explore further transformations in both the aesthetic and technical direction of bronze making from the 15th to the 17th century. The fourth section, “Living with Bronzes,” will feature a display in the Ming Furniture Room (Gallery 218) to demonstrate how bronzes were used in literati life from the 16th to the 19th century. The last section, “Harmonizing with Antiquity,” will examine how the deep scholarly appreciation of archaic bronzes during the 18th and 19th centuries led to a final flourishing of bronze production.

Pengliang Lu, Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art at The Met, said: “This exhibition attempts a long-overdue reevaluation of later Chinese bronzes by seeking to establish a reliable chronology of this art form across the last millennium of Chinese history. The exhibition will also distinguish outstanding works from lesser examples based on their artistic and cultural merits.”

This exhibition will provide visitors with a captivating experience as they follow the shifting cultural roles and evolving canons of beauty represented in later bronzes.

Later Chinese bronzes have long been stigmatized as poor imitations of ancient bronzes rather than being seen as fundamentally new creations with their own aesthetic and functional character. This exhibition redresses this misunderstanding by showcasing their artistic virtuosity, innovative creativity, and wide cultural impact. Through archaeologically recovered examples and cross-medium comparisons to a wide range of objects, the exhibition demonstrates the ongoing importance and influence of bronzes as well as how they inspired the form and function of works in other media.

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Credits and Related Content

Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900 is curated by Pengliang Lu, Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.

The catalogue is made possible by the Florence and Herbert Irving Fund for Asian Art

Publications.

The Met will host a variety of exhibition-related educational and public programs, to be

announced at a later date.

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