Lamp

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

While lions are not native to China, there is evidence that some specimens had reached China from the West by the Western Han (206 B.C.–A.D. 9) period. With the firm establishment of Buddhism in China in the Six Dynasties (220–589) period, lions-regarded as defenders of the faith and of the Buddhist law-began to be used in a specifically Buddhist context. The two types of relief lotus petals that circle the bowl and the bottom of this footed lamp were also a popular ornamental motif in sixth-century Buddhist art.

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