Recasting the Past

The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100-1900

Pengliang Lu

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Hardback

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English

Metropolitan Museum of Art
22 June 2025

Oriental art

A reappraisal of the often-overlooked Chinese bronzes made from the twelfth through nineteenth centuries, demonstrating their profound impact on Chinese art and culture

Bronze vessels were the ultimate emblems of power in ancient China. Beginning in the twelfth century, the rediscovery of ancient bronzes as evidence of an earlier golden age led to a revival of bronze casting. This publication is the first comprehensive study of these later Chinese bronzes in archaic styles, which were commissioned by emperors and officials from the twelfth through the nineteenth centuries to assert political legitimacy and alignment with traditional values. Redressing the misconception that these works were mere imitations of the ancient vessels they emulated, Recasting the Past demonstrates that they were in fact creative reinterpretations of antique shapes and decorative motifs that were fundamentally new creations with their own aesthetic and functional character. Featuring nearly two hundred objects, many never before published—including ceremonial bells, incense burners, flower vases, ritual vessels, and writing utensils—Pengliang Lu explores their cultural and political significance from the Song dynasty through the Qing dynasty and shows their enormous influence on Chinese art and culture.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Exhibition Schedule:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

(February 28–September 28, 2025)

Shanghai Museum

(November 11, 2025–March 16, 2026)

By: Pengliang Lu
Imprint: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 279mm, Width: 241mm,
ISBN: 9781588397904
ISBN 10: 1588397904
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 22 June 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Pengliang Lu is Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.