Stand for a Tenmoku Teabowl

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tea was central to life in the Chan/Zen Buddhist monastery. Monks drank it to sustain themselves over long periods of meditation, and it served as the focal point of formal ceremonies held by abbots for visiting dignitaries. This assemblage of bowl and stand captures the austere elegance of Zen tea ceremony aesthetics in Muromachi-period Japan. A darkly-hued Chinese tea bowl is paired with a Japanese lacquer stand, the red surface of which has abraded over time to reveal the black underlayer, a prized effect that develops with use and age.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art