COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
MIA_.96.55.1
AMICA Library Year:
2002
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Creator Name:
artist unknown
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
Creator Name-CRT:
artist unknown
Title:
Silkworm
View:
Front
Creation Date:
206 B.C. - A.D. 220
Creation Start Date:
-206
Creation End Date:
220
Materials and Techniques:
gilt bronze
Classification Term:
Bronze
Dimensions:
H.7/16 x W.2-7/8 x D.5/8 in.
Component Measured:
overall
Measurement Unit:
in
AMICA Contributor:
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Owner Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
ID Number:
96.55.1
Credit Line:
Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton
Context:
Solidly cast in a realistic form, this bronze silkworm might have functioned as a mat or shroud weight in a Han dynasty tomb. Sericulture was an important industry in ancient China and, with the opening of the trade routes to the West during the second century b.c., the export of silk became an important source of wealth. Accordingly, this tiny worm would have symbolized both luxury and economic prosperity to Han society.
Related Image Identifier Link:
MIA_.24214c.tif
