Base from a Purification Brazier

Base from a Purification Brazier

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This brazier was used for burning sacrificial offerings during purification rites. The circle-on-a-square configuration is echoed in the fire-offering ladles displayed nearby. The base and the drum display a meandering lotus-flower decoration, the drum with four flaying knives in high relief. All the gold and silver decoration is damascened.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Base from a Purification BrazierBase from a Purification BrazierBase from a Purification BrazierBase from a Purification BrazierBase from a Purification Brazier

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.