Picnic basket with scene from Investiture of the Gods

Picnic basket with scene from Investiture of the Gods

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The decorative designs on this box attest to the popular taste for the fantastical and the auspicious. Its cover displays an exciting scene from the sixteenth-century mythological novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi). The fairy at the top left corner sends out magic scissors to cut her enemy; in the story he escapes, but his deer is less fortunate.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Picnic basket with scene from Investiture of the GodsPicnic basket with scene from Investiture of the GodsPicnic basket with scene from Investiture of the GodsPicnic basket with scene from Investiture of the GodsPicnic basket with scene from Investiture of the Gods

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.