The Shanghai Museum is a large modern building in People's Square, a little to the south of Nanjing Road, about a mile west of the Bund. Its collections are very impressive.
Tang Dynasty official, glazed pottery.
Close-up, same official. He looks as if he enjoys ruling more than those under him are
likely to enjoy that situation.
Another Tang official.
Mythical beast, Tang Dynasty.
If I recall correctly, the label said this magnificent bronze drum dated from the 5th
or 6th century a.d. Ancient bronze drums resembling this pretty closely, even to the little
frog-like figures on the rim, have been found in southern China, Vietnam, and I believe in
some other parts of Southeast Asia.
Same bronze drum, in larger scale to show more detail.
[I saw a bronze drum recognizably similar to the one above, with a similar sunburst in the center but not the animal figures around the rim, still in use in the Miao community of Datang, Guizhou province, in 2005: front view, side view.]
Copyright © 2002, Edwin E. Moïse. Revised August 10, 2007.
