Woman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in Medallions

Woman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in Medallions

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Every roundel embroidered on this jacket is different, but each one has the "hundred antiques" as its theme. The vessels and objects in the roundels are supplemented not only by flowers and fruit but also, occasionally, by fantastic or symbolic animals—for example, the ox symbolizing strength in the upper roundel, and the fantastic lion, which is accompanied by a bat representing good fortune, seen in the roundel at the lower right. At the bottom of the jacket, sketchily embroidered rocks, trees, and flowers form a scene of a Daoist (Taoist) paradise inhabited by cranes and deer.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Woman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in MedallionsWoman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in MedallionsWoman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in MedallionsWoman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in MedallionsWoman's Informal Jacket with Antiquities in Medallions

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.