Scroll Cover with Birds and Flowers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Some of the earliest preserved examples of Chinese tapestry survived as covers for paintings. This piece came into the Museum’s collection as the cover for the handscroll Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake after Wang Zhenpeng (ca. 1280–1329). Using such a precious textile in this way both highlighted the importance of the painting and enhanced viewing, as opening the cover and unrolling the enclosed painting were part of the total experience. The type of weft used to make this piece along with the rendering of the motif of birds in flowers show Central Asian influence. However, the balance and precision of the design are typically Chinese, as is the magic fungus held in the birds’ beaks. The cuteness and intentional awkwardness (zhuo) of the scene are important aesthetic values in traditional Chinese art.

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