Pair of phoenixes

late 7th - 8th century

These delicate phoenixes were cut from sheets of gold. Cut-outs like this were mounted on items such as mirrors and boxes with a lacquer-based mixture—a technique called pingtuo. Tang dynasty elites indulged in pingtuo luxuries to such an extent that an emperor issued a ban on them; the law was ineffective.

Cut gold sheets with incised decoration

4 3/4 x 4 1/8 in. (12.07 x 10.48 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

33.622.2

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Chinese Metalwork, July 12 - Nov. 27, 1988.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Timeless Grandeur: Art from China, Apr. 25, 2002 - June 12, 2005.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM

Pair of phoenixes

Pair of phoenixes

Related Works

Resources