Four antiques collected by National Museum from overseas

A bronze tripod made in the Shang Dynasty as well as three other antiques were recently collected by the National Museum from overseas market.

The bronze tripod, measuring 1.02 meters in height, is the largest Shang Dynasty (1600BC – 1100 BC) round-shaped tripod discovered so far. It is also the earliest tripod discovered in China that is inscribed with the Chinese character “dragon”, with which people call it the "dragon tripod". The tripod is considered as the most precious Shang Dynasty antique due to its fine workmanship and well-preserved shape.

Apart from the bronze tripod, a wooden in the shape of the Goddess of Mercy made in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) was also collected by the National Museum this time. The wooden statue is 2 meters tall and kept in a good condition. The Goddess of Mercy looks calm and solemn. According to archeologists, the National Museum has few wooden Buddhist statues of the Song Dynasty. The new piece thus fills up a blank in the museum’s collection.

Two triple-colored Buddhist statues made in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) were also added to the National Museum collection this time.

Since China kicked off the special fund project for buying back the national antiques that had flowed out of the country, by last May, China had completed 14 major tasks listed on the project and as a result, 203 antiques of various types have been bought back from overseas market.