Traveling box with lotus scrolls

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This extraordinary box, most likely made for a Tibetan visitor to the Chinese court, would have been used to carry belongings, both personal goods and gifts such as porcelains and textiles. The large lotus scrolls painted on the sides, and in particular the spiky blossoms, derive from Nepali artistic traditions that were introduced to China in the late thirteenth century. Such floral design also became a standard motif commonly found among early Ming imperial works in various media including cloisonné enamel.

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