Shallow Basin Supported by a Bird (Bian)
A Warring States bronze basin with a lobed rim rests on the back of a crouching bird with a long curved neck, its body inlaid with pale blue-green patterns of malachite and azurite. The bird stands on an oval foot with three small knobs, and its open claws grip the base. The patina is green and brown.
Look closer: A small curled tail tip rises behind the bird's back near the neck.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- early 400s BCE
- Medium
- bronze inlaid with powdered malachite and azurite
- Source
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Size
- 3258 × 3400 px
Public domain · The Cleveland Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date -400).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access, share_license_status=CC0)
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access, share_license_status=CC0)
Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund