Marshal Wang

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Marshal Wang, one of the fierce guardian deities of Daoism, is charged with protecting Daoist temples. Like many popular Daoist deities, Wang was originally a human who was posthumously deified and revered as a god. Here, he rides a flaming wheel, vanquishing the evil serpent spirits in the river below. The gold inscription at upper right indicates that this painting was commissioned by an imperial concubine at the court of the Ming emperor Jiajing, a generous patron of Daoism.

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