Maebyeong decorated with lotus

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The lotus’s distinctive open leaf forms the center of the painted design on this maebyeong (plum bottle). Iron pigment typically adds a yellowish tint to celadon glaze, as seen here. The style of the design is similar to those on iron-painted vessels from the Cizhou kilns of Song-dynasty (960–1279) China.

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