Paying homage to Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The auspicious subject of this fan painting is the birthday anniversary of Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West. Standing atop an ornately furnished terrace, the three Daoist immortals Lü Dongbin, Han Zhongli, and Zhang Guolao are depicted reverently paying their respects to the queen of the Daoist pantheon. The figures, drawn with a minimum of calligraphic flourish, seem to be the work of a professional painter of the fifteenth century.

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