Interpretation
Called “money trees” because coins hang from what appear to be the limbs of a tree, objects like this are found in Han and post-Han tombs around Sichuan province in central China. The imagery of money trees likely has auspicious meaning. Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West—a very early Chinese deity thought to dispense long life—is represented as a small seated figure under a roof, along the top of some of the branches. She is seen with attendant immortals and creatures, set amid other images that relate to aspirations for immortality. Depictions of roaming animals and hunters, as well as the tree’s towering form, refer to Xiwangmu’s mountain residence. The ram-shaped base of this money tree is also an auspicious image.
Information
- Title
- Money Tree
- Object Number
- 1999-79
- Medium
- Bronze with ceramic base
- Dimensions
- h. ca. 135 cm. (53 1/8 in.)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
- Culture
- Chinese
- Period
- Eastern Han dynasty
- Place made
- Asia, China
–1999 Ariadne Galleries (New York, NY), sold to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1999.
- Recarving China's Past: The Art, Archaeology and Architecture of the 'Wu Family Shrines' March 5 – June 26, 2005
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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.
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