Vase with Dragonfish Handles

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Vases of this type were especially popular in Japan, where they were sometimes used in the tea ceremony. The vase’s form, known as a mallet shape, can be traced to glass vessels produced in Syria in the ninth and tenth century and was most likely introduced to China at around that time. The fanciful handles are a Chinese addition.

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