Ewer with dancing figures

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The curly hair of the dancer appliqued to the ewer suggests that this figure is not of Chinese ethnicity. He may represent a South or Southeast Asian individual, or even someone from Central Asia. Similar dancing figures, depicted on ceramics from north China, often represent Sogdians, a trading people based in present-day Uzbekistan, known for their whirling dances.

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