Dish with long-tailed birds and flowers

Dish with long-tailed birds and flowers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A sophisticated example of the two-bird design, the compact composition of this dish features flowers and long-tailed birds (shoudai, or paradise flycatchers)—a symbol of a rewarding career and long life—carved in a three-dimensional effect.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dish with long-tailed birds and flowersDish with long-tailed birds and flowersDish with long-tailed birds and flowersDish with long-tailed birds and flowersDish with long-tailed birds and flowers

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.