Weight in the Form of Nestled Birds

Tang dynasty, 618–907

China

This small gilt-bronze sculpture captures the tender image of two birds nestled against each other. Their interlocking claws and tail feathers on the front side, along with the overlapping wings on the reverse, create a strong sense of liveliness and intimacy. This object might have functioned as a sleeve weight, which was used in burials to anchor the sleeve of the deceased.

Status: On View, Gallery 133
Department: Arts of Asia

Title: Weight in the Form of Nestled Birds
Place: China (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 618 CE–907 CE
Medium: Gilt bronze
Dimensions: W.: 5.4 cm (2 1/8 in.)
Credit Line: Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection
Reference Number: 1926.1828
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/32539/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.