Artwork preview

Oracle bone

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Oracle bone by an unknown artist is a light-brown, animal bone with writing on it. The bone is roughly shaped like a trapezoid with the top edge being the shortest. The top edge appears to be broken off and is uneven. The bone has a few dark spots and lines on it. There are several lines of writing on the bone. The writing appears to be carved into the bone. The background of the image is a plain gray color.

Artwork details

Medium:
Inscribed bone
Culture:
China
Dimensions:
416 × 624 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette