Platter with the story of Pan An

Platter with the story of Pan An

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This large platter exemplifies typical wucai (five-color) ware from the Kangxi period, a golden age of enameled porcelain. The era saw the developed of unprecedented fresh hues and rich varieties of enamel, including the recently invented overglaze blue. The platter most likely depicts the talented writer Pan An (247–300) being showered with fruit. Unusually, the cart pulled by a goat refers to another handsome young man Wei Jie (286–312), even though he is not associated with fruit. The ceramic artist freely combined the tales into a composite scene.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.