Table screen with the gathering in the Western Garden

Table screen with the gathering in the Western Garden

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Five groups of figures are nestled in the tree-lined garden on this screen, which would have been displayed in a scholar’s studio. The scene recalls a famous literary gathering held in the Western Garden in 1087. The figure writing on a cliff, at right, appears to be the legendary scholar-official Mi Fu (1051–1107).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Table screen with the gathering in the Western GardenTable screen with the gathering in the Western GardenTable screen with the gathering in the Western GardenTable screen with the gathering in the Western GardenTable screen with the gathering in the Western Garden

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.