Cylinder of Unknown Use
CultureChinese
DateShang dynasty (1500-1045 B.C.E.)
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 11 3/8 × 6 inches (28.89 × 15.24 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number31-130/11
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionDecorated at the top and bottom with a band of an abstract pattern from which extend triangles enclosing a scale pattern in saw tooth arrangement over body. Flared opening at one end; other end, similarly flared, is filled in with a bronze disk of modern work. Was originally open at both ends.ProvenanceProbably with Kinsekikwai, Nara Park, Nara, Japan, by October 2, 1930 [1];
Probably purchased from Kinsekikwai by Yamanaka & Co., Osaka, Japan, October 2, 1930-1931 [2];
Purchased from Yamanaka & Co. by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931.
NOTES:
[1] This is probably no. B-8 on a list of objects the Nelson-Atkins acquired from Yamanaka & Co. in 1931-32, but the object's description is not specific enough to make a definitive identification. "Kansas City - Itemized Purchases in China and Japan, 1932," Harvard Pusey Library, Langdon Warner Personal Archive, box 15, folder 28, copy in Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.
[2] Ibid.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
