Peony

Takahashi Sōhei

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sōhei, born into a merchant family in Bungo-han (present-day Oita Prefecture), began studying at age nineteen with the Nanga painter Tanomura Chikuden (1777–1835). Sōhei was known for his highly individual style of painting. By the nineteenth century, Confucian literati culture flourished among all classes in Japan; the ferment of ideas and expression it fostered led to the political upheaval at mid-century that created the Meiji state.

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