Brush holder with lotus decoration

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scholarly men of the Joseon dynasty collected and used tasteful writing and painting accessories. This brush holder is an elegant example of nineteenth-century porcelain with carved openwork designs. The lotus is an emblem of the Confucian scholar aptly used here to ornament an object for his study

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