Dish with immortals playing weiqi

Dish with immortals playing weiqi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lotus-shaped dishes like this one were produced primarily during the short reign of the Xuande emperor. While two of the figures wear scholars’ clothing, the short cape of leaves adorning the shoulders of the man seated at center right identifies him as a Daoist immortal. He and one scholar play a chess-like game (weiqi) by moonlight—a common motif in Chinese art and literature.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dish with immortals playing weiqiDish with immortals playing weiqiDish with immortals playing weiqiDish with immortals playing weiqiDish with immortals playing weiqi

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.