Tray with Pair of Dragons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Historical records indicate that sets of thirty trays with matching basins were sent to the Qing court in Beijing from the Ryūkyū Islands at least three times during the eighteenth century. The two dragons chasing a pearl in the center of this tray have five claws on each foot, which indicates that they are imperial symbols. Large trays such as this remain in imperial collections in China and Taiwan, and it seems likely that they once belonged to the eighteenth-century sets. The dragons and other motifs are rendered with thin pieces of mother-of-pearl chosen for their bright colors. The disjunction between the heads of the dragons and the rest of their bodies is characteristic of Okinawan lacquer.

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