Frolicking Kittens under a Banana Tree

Frolicking Kittens under a Banana Tree

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kittens in a garden setting was a favorite subject of Academy painters during the Song dynasty. Here, the young ones play while the mother watches. New banana plants and shoots, their leaves not yet unfurled, have just emerged, but a sprig of bamboo visible along the right-hand margin of the painting is still without its summer greenery.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Frolicking Kittens under a Banana TreeFrolicking Kittens under a Banana TreeFrolicking Kittens under a Banana TreeFrolicking Kittens under a Banana TreeFrolicking Kittens under a Banana Tree

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.