Bowl

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although this porcelain bowl appears at first glance to be relatively modest, in the ninth century it was the most technically advanced ceramic in the world. Similar bowls, traded to centers such as the Abbasid court in Baghdad, were described in early Islamic poetry as having the luster of a pearl or of the moon.

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