Portraits of members of a family

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portrait albums are rare, and this one, which seems to depict an entire family, is particularly unusual. Several of the men wear “rank badges”—textile squares or circles indicating their official position within the Qing government. In each image, objects of refinement—books, fine furniture, scholar’s rocks—are carefully placed around the sitter to indicate his or her sophistication. This album is a touching document of one family’s attempt to record its ideal self-image.

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