Gentlemen gazing at a waterfall

Gentlemen gazing at a waterfall

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The people who occupy premodern Chinese landscape paintings are often shown appreciating nature, as if teaching the viewer by example how to engage with the world around them. Here, two gentlemen sit in the shade of a bamboo grove absorbed in the sight and sound of a small waterfall plunging into a stream.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gentlemen gazing at a waterfallGentlemen gazing at a waterfallGentlemen gazing at a waterfallGentlemen gazing at a waterfallGentlemen gazing at a waterfall

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.