Pair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poems

Pair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poems

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ducks and water plants are incised into one of this pair of screens; small birds perched on plum blossoms adorn the other. Both images are inspired by poems engraved on the backs of the screens. One, by Zhu Xi (1130–1200), describes the tranquil sound of the swimming ducks. The other, by an unidentified poet, refers to the opening of the petals of a tea plum.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poemsPair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poemsPair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poemsPair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poemsPair of table screens with flowers, birds, and poems

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.