Tiger

Meisō

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The tiger has long been an auspicious symbol of power throughout Asia, in both popular culture and elite society. In East Asian art a tiger in a bamboo grove conveys the idea of a peaceful and harmonious society, strong leadership, and just government, as it is one of the few animals able to navigate the thick bamboo forest. With its almost whimsical treatment of the animal, this work resembles Korean tiger paintings of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910); however, the loose, free brushwork is more characteristic of Japanese renditions of the subject. The artist, Meisō, was almost certainly a Japanese monk-painter. An eighteenth-century monk named Shitaku Junka, about whom little is known, composed the inscribed poem.

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