The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2024

Monster Face: Door Ring Holder (Pushou)

Monster Face: Door Ring Holder (Pushou)

500s

Did You Know?

Three rivet holes (one on the forehead and one by each limb) were used to nail the mask onto a door.

Description

This gilt bronze Door Ring Holder is in the form of a monster head with curving horns, protruding eyes, three-clawed paws, curling beard, and flame-shaped hair. The tongue dangles from the mouth, in which the creature originally grasped a ring. While it had a practical function as a door knocker, the intimidating form could also frighten away both intruders and evil spirits.
  • said to be from Sung-Shan in Honan [Henan] Province, China
    after 1925–by 1930
    Jörg Trübner [1903–1930] acquired in China, to his brother-in-law, Edgar Worch
    ?–1930
    Edgar Worch [1880–1972], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1930–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Kümmel, Otto. Jörg Trübner zum Gedächtnis. Ergebnisse seiner letzten chinesischen Reisen. Berlin: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1930. Mentioned and Reproduced: pl. 57, pp. 112–113
    Hollis, Howard C. “Two Chinese Bronzes.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 18, no. 4 (April 1931): 66–73. Reproduced: p. 72 www.jstor.org
    Chinese Bronzes of the Shang (1766-1122 B.C.) Through the Tʻang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906); An Exhibition Lent by American Collectors and Museums and Shown in Gallery D6 from October 19 Through November 27. 1938. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1938. Mentioned: cat. no. 334, p. 28 libmma.contentdm.oclc.org
    Pacific Cultures, Department of Fine Arts, Division of Pacific Cultures. San Francisco: Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939. cat. no. 55
    Morley, Grace. Art in Asia and the West: An Exhibition to Illustrate Varied Aspects of Asian Traditions and Their Importance for Art in the West, San Francisco Museum of Art, October 28-December 1, 1957. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1957. cat. no. 16b
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 816 archive.org
    Masks: The Many Faces of Man : an Exhibition Presented by the Division of Art and Archaeology of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Canada. Toronto: The Museum, 1959. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. E17
    Lee, Sherman E. A History of Far Eastern Art. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1964. Reproduced: p. 145, fig. no. 170
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 249 archive.org
    Christie, Anthony. Chinese Mythology. London: Hamlyn, 1968. Reproduced: p. 106
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 249 archive.org
    Bao Zunpeng xian sheng ji nian lun wen ji [包遵彭先生紀念論文集 = Essays on a Symposium in Memory of (Bao Zunpeng)]. Taibei: Guo li zhong yang tu shu guan 國立中央圖書館, 民國 60 [1971]. Reproduced: p. 250, illus. B
    Weisberg, Gabriel P. and H. W. Janson. Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1975. cat. no. 101
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 328 archive.org
    Pearlstein, Elinor. “Pictorial Stones from Chinese Tombs.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 71, no. 9 (1984): 302–331. Reproduced: p. 308, fig. 11 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Images of the Mind. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1987. Reproduced: [p. 10]
  • Images of the Mind. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 7-August 30, 1987).
    Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Chinese Bronzes of the Shang (1766-1122 B.C.) Through the Tʻang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (October 19-November 27, 1938).
    Golden Gate International Expositions. San Francisco, CA (1939).
    Art in Asia and the West. San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA (October 28-December 1, 1957).
    Masks: The Many Faces of Man. The Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (February 11-April 5,1959).
    The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
  • {{cite web|title=Monster Face: Door Ring Holder (Pushou)|url=false|author=|year=500s|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.731