Snuff bottle with gourd on a trellis

Snuff bottle with gourd on a trellis

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The ingenious use of different colors or flaws in the stone is a technique known as "smart colors," which can produce unexpected spectacles in the hands of experienced carving masters. Here the artist creates the image of a gourd hanging from a trellis by simply polishing the surface of the stone and leaving the dark spot and veins untouched.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Snuff bottle with gourd on a trellisSnuff bottle with gourd on a trellisSnuff bottle with gourd on a trellisSnuff bottle with gourd on a trellisSnuff bottle with gourd on a trellis

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.