Female Dancer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This figure vividly captures the moment when, with one long sleeve thrown back and the other trailing down, a dancer gently stoops and flexes her knees as she lifts one heel to advance her step, performing a dance described in Han dynasty poetry: “Their long sleeves, twirling and twisting, fill the hall; Gauze-stocking feet…taking mincing steps, Move with slow and easy gait They hover about long and continuous, as if Stopped in mid-air; Dazed, one thinks they are about to fall…”

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