Amphora with dragon-shaped handles

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This wine container reflects the cosmopolitanism of Chinese art in the seventh and eighth centuries. Its ovoid body and tall neck recall the shape of Greco-Roman amphoras made in the eastern Mediterranean, while its animal-headed handles allude to versions in Persian and Central Asian metalwork. But the fine buff glaze of its stoneware is distinctively local, and the handles’ animal heads have turned into Chinese dragons.

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