Dish with Gardenia

Dish with Gardenia

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pomegranate, persimmon, grapes, and lotus surround the gardenia in the center of this dish. All of the flowers are auspicious: the gardenia symbolizes honor and happiness because its Chinese name, furong, is a homonym for these virtues.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.