Chinese bronze zodiac

The Chinese bronze zodiacs were a set of 12 bronze figurehead sculptures that were looted from the Old Summer Palace (Traditional Chinese: 圓明園; Simplified Chinese: 圆明园; pinyin: Yuánmíng Yuán) by British and French expeditionary forces during the Second Opium War in 1860.

History

The 12 bronze figureheads were part of a water clock fountain at Hall of the Calm Sea (Simplified Chinese海晏堂; pinyin: Haiyantang ) situated in the Garden of Eternal Spring (Simplified Chinese: 长春园; Traditional Chinese: 長春園; pinyin: Chángchūn Yuán)

The 12 bronze figureheads represented the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac with the main bodies carved out of stone and heads cast from bronze. They were designed by the European missionaries serving the Qing Court at the time, and were made by court artisans.

Current status

The recovery of the 12 figureheads have become a national priority in recent years. The current status are as follows:

The Chinese collection are being housed at the Poly Art Museum, Beijing. The Rabbit and Rat are part of a private European collection housed in France.

External links

* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2000/05/06/lon.t.php?page=1, International Herald Tribute, "Auction Houses Add Insult to Injury", May 6, 2000]
* [http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ppr_release_det.php?pd=20040109&ps=03 Press Release: "Bronze animals heads from Summer Palace go on display", Hong Kong, Heritage Museum Friday, January 9, 2004]
* [http://english.sina.com/taiwan_hk/p/1/2007/0921/126032.html Macao casino mogul Stanley Ho buys stolen Chinese relic for US$8.9 million 21 September, 2007]