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China, reportedly from Hunan province, Changsha, Warring States period (475–221 BCE), State of Chu ( / 475–221 BCE

Cranes and Serpents

The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Cranes and Serpents as sculpture (China, reportedly from Hunan province, Changsha, Warring States period (475–221 BCE), State of Chu ( · 475–221 BCE).

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

The cranes' long necks allowed a lightweight drum to be suspended from strings through the beaks, while the densely intertwined snakes provided a weighty base to stabilize the object during musical performances.

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected

FamiliarWeird

A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this sculpture as lacquered wood with polychromy.

The museum's collection notes: A different style of ritual art developed in the state of Chu in South China. In addition to bronze vessels, lacquered wood artifacts expanded the repertory of ritual implements. This extraordinary sculpture was probably a drum stand for supporting a suspended drum in ritual ceremonies. It is unique among other excavated drum stands of the Chu, which typically show two birds standing on tigers. The theme of the bird stepping on the serpent was common in the Chu visual culture. Yet the slender proportions and seemingly flimsy structure of this particular set raise the question of whether it was utilitarian or mostly served symbolic functions i

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The Cleveland Museum of ArtCranes and Serpents

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