Situla with Design of Boats

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Axes, situlae, and drums play an important role in Vietnam's Dongson culture named after a site located on the coastline to the south of present-day Hanoi that was first excavated in 1924. The four long boats with seated warriors in the central horizontal band of this bucket shaped vessel, common images in the art of the Dongson culture, are also depicted, albeit more summarily, on the sides on the bronze model of a drum in this case. There had been much speculation regarding the meaning of this theme, which is interpreted as representations of military or imperial processions, or as symbols of either the practice of shamanism or a soul's journey to the afterlife.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art