Ox-shaped bronze lamp combines practicality and decoration

Did you know that imperial family members in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) have enjoyed a unique lamp integrating practicality and decoration?

The ox-shaped bronze lamp inlaid with silver is one-of-a-kind. Consisting of a lamp holder and a smoke chimney, the lamp contains diverse patterns showing clouds, dragon, phoenix, tiger and deer. The lampshade is movable to adjust brightness. The smoke of burning fuels drifts up and reaches the water to avoid polluting the air. What a clever design.

The lamp was discovered in the tomb of Liu Jing, son of Emperor Guangwu (25-57) of Eastern Han, in Hanjiang county, Jiangsu province in 1980. It is now in the collection of the Nanjing Museum.