Archaic-style cup with ring handle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The abstract bodies of the two intertwined birds on the surface of this cup can be traced to the Bronze Age. The shape of the cup is based on similar jade cups of the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9), and so are the multiple raised dots in the background, which derive ultimately from the simulated granulation on the surface of metalwork of the late Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.).

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