Textile with Pearl Roundels with Dragons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The decorative use of rows of pearls ultimately derives from Sasanian Iran. The dragon has been a significant presence in Chinese art for thousands of years, but those depicted here have no heads. A flaw in the weave program may explain this anomaly, or the textile may have been woven in Central Asia, where the dragon motif was less well understood.

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