Portrait of an Old Lady

Portrait of an Old Lady

Ruan Zude

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This image of an elegant elderly lady shows how the Chinese portrait painter conveyed a sense of status through a figure's accoutrements. The lady's wealth is suggested by her jewelry (gold-and-pearl earrings and an ornate headdress fashioned out of gold and kingfisher feathers), by her sumptuous outer robe of blue brocade and white underrobe fastened at the neck by gold clasps, and by the red-and-gold brocaded cloth draped over the back of her chair. Her family status is further underscored by the official belt inset with elaborately worked plaques and the large rank badge with Manchurian cranes-the insignia of a civil official of the highest rank. Since women were not eligible to hold government office, these marks of rank were probably inherited from her father.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.