Gold from Dragon City Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337–436

Buddha, Northern Wei (386–534), red pottery; H. 22 cm. Excavated in 2003 from Chaoyang. Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Nearly 70 years of archeological excavations in the capital of Three Yan states — Dragon City (longcheng), today’s Chaoyang in Liaoning province — have revealed extraordinary treasures, such as the dangling, dazzling golden headdress called buyao. The landmark exhibition Gold from Dragon City: Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337–436 presents these precious artworks and cultural objects for the first time in the United States. The exhibition illustrates and revives the faded history of ethnic integration and cultural exchange along the Steppe-Silk Road that transformed northern China more than 1,600 years ago. Featured objects include sculptures, bronze mirrors, inkstones, imperial seals, and ceramic vessels, with highlights of gold ornaments and equestrian objects.