Chinese Women and Children in a Palace Garden

Kano Eitoku

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Images of women and children in a springtime garden were ubiquitous in Japan in the Edo period. The subject was commonly featured on precious objects made for brides and in the interior decorations of Buddhist nunneries, where aristocratic women often lived in retirement. In this example, women play chess in the right-hand panels, and they safeguard children playing at left.

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