Late Jade copy of Shang Dynasty bronze
- Audio guide stop: 628
- Gallery: Room 33b
- Culture: Qianlong
- Made in: China
- Date: 18thC
- Object type: vessel
- Materials: jade
- Museum number: 2022,3034.235
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is a remarkable jade vessel known as a "Late Jade copy of Shang Dynasty bronze." Created during the 18th century in China, it showcases the fine quality of white jade used throughout the Qing period.
This covered vessel is a tribute to older styles, modeled after ancient bronze ritual objects called fang yi. You might notice its formal rectangular form, slightly outward-curving sides, and U-shaped holes near the base—features that echo ancient designs. Above these are raised lines typical of bronze decoration.
The stylized eye motif with swirling scrolls adds visual interest to each side of the box. On top, a gently curved lid rests on a trapezoidal knob. Underneath is an inscription: “Qianlong nianzhi,” which marks it as made during the reign of the Qianlong emperor.
See it in person
Late Jade copy of Shang Dynasty bronze is on display in Room 33b at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 628, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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