Cabinet with Design of Butterflies

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Butterflies and flowers are often found in the visual arts of China and the Ryūkyū Islands in the eighteenth century. The butterflies decorating this cabinet were painted in black and gold lacquer and inlaid with pearl shell. The overall shape of the cabinet and the four small feet show parallels to Japanese art. A large opening in the shape of a swastika in the cabinet's back wall suggests that it was once used to house Buddhist sutras or religious paraphernalia.

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