Cabinet with Design of Stylized Tortoiseshell Patterns

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Often referred to as medicine chests, boxes such as this one, with a front cover and interior drawers, were also designed for traveling. The dramatic rendering of stylized tortoiseshells on the exterior is matched by the three wonderful cranes found on the front of the drawers. In both China and Japan, these motifs are often associated with a mythical mountain inhabited by immortals.

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