Jar decorated with auspicious characters amid plants

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pot features four auspicious characters: fortune (fu 福), longevity (shou 壽), peace (ning 寧), and health (kang 康). Rendered in a highly stylized format, the characters are set as a part of vibrant pine trees, bamboo, and plum blossoms. Known as “Three Friends of Winter,” this plant combination symbolizes the lofty virtue of resilience.

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