Seated luohan (arhat) in a grotto

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This superb sculpture of lapis lazuli depicts a Buddhist sage meditating in a rocky cave under a craggy tree. The master carver demonstrated his formidable skill by managing to turn the large light gray blotches of the stone into the gnarled tree trunk and the whitish spots into the highlights on the monk’s face.

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