Tureen with Landscape

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This large tureen is a piece of export porcelain made for the European trade that was conducted by the Dutch during the Edo period (1615–1868). It is decorated in the Transitional style, in which a stylized landscape scene is executed in underglaze blue on a white surface. This style originated in Chinese export porcelain and was popular in Europe in the first half of the seventeenth century. When, toward the middle of that century, the Dutch porcelain trade was carried out primarily with Japan, Chinese styles were used as models. This large tureen shape was not widespread in Japan, but rather was created specifically to meet the demand of European buyers.

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