Box with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finches

Box with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finches

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The technique of combining fine basketry weaving with Chinese lacquer first appeared in the late sixteenth century. Basketry panels were installed on the sides of lacquer containers that were used to present gifts and important documents. The colorful painting of birds and flowers on this cover probably came from a pattern book, as multiblock color printing became popular in southern China in the same period.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Box with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finchesBox with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finchesBox with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finchesBox with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finchesBox with gardenia, plum blossoms, and finches

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.