Dish with peaches and bats

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The use of gold nanoparticles to create a pink color was a chemical process introduced to Guangzhou artisans by Europeans in the early eighteenth century. By 1716, skilled enamelers were requisitioned to work at the imperial workshops, where this new color was deployed onto ceramic and metal surfaces for courtly consumption. In a technique more usual for glaze application, the enameler has sprayed this pink enamel to create a naturalistic sense of ripening peaches.

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