Jar

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The inscription reading xin guan, or “new official ware,” carved into the bottom of this small jar indicates that it was produced for use at one of the many competing courts in north China during the tumultuous tenth century. In addition to use at the court, wares of this type, produced primarily in Hebei Province, were traded to Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, and Africa.

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