Imperial candlestick

Standard ritual bronzes cast for the altar comprise five vessels (wu gang), a censer, two candlesticks, and a pair of vases. Early woodblock prints depict these objects formally arranged in a line across the altar table with the censer used as a centerpiece flanked by candlesticks with the vases at the two ends. Ritual bronze vessels like these, made for the imperial palaces and temples, were governed by state regulations under a section titled, Rules for Making Sacrificial Vessels and Ornaments for Temple Use. The archaistic décor including taotie masks and cicada blades against a spiral ground is a revival of a Song dynasty (960-1279) style which was itself an interpretation of ancient Shang and Zhou (16th c. - 221 BCE) ritual bronzes. Each vessel of this large and important set bears the six-character reign mark of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-35), and the censer and candlesticks bear the additional characters jingzhi (made with reverence).