Box with camellias

Box with camellias

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The lacquer body is built on a red-orange ground and has a thin layer of lacquer near the top that outlines the camellia blossoms and leaves in red, an allusion to the color of this flower that blooms around the Chinese New Year. As is typical of the thirteenth century, there is little overlapping of leaves and petals, and much of the ground is exposed. The lack of incisions to indicate the veins of the petals and leaves is another thirteenth-century characteristic.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.