Bottle with Waves and Auspicious Emblems

Bottle with Waves and Auspicious Emblems

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The history of the shape of this Vietnamese bottle is interesting. It is based on a shape that was popular in China in the fourteenth century. The Chinese pieces are a slight reinterpretation of a shape first found in metalwork in the eighth century, which, in turn, was based on a form introduced from India with Buddhism.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bottle with Waves and Auspicious EmblemsBottle with Waves and Auspicious EmblemsBottle with Waves and Auspicious EmblemsBottle with Waves and Auspicious EmblemsBottle with Waves and Auspicious Emblems

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.