One of a pair of parakeets

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

During the Qianlong period, artisans working with cloisonné enamels expanded their repertoire to create three-dimensional representations of birds and other animals, depictions that have a long history in Chinese bronze casting. These parakeets could have been loosely modeled on prints of bronze antiquities, or inspired by the famous five-colored parakeet painted by Song-dynasty emperor Huizong (r. 1100–1126) as an auspicious omen. The polychrome possibilities of cloisonné enamels lent themselves particularly well to this colorful subject.

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