Guardian lion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This lion head and its mate (30.66.1) were likely part of a sarcophagus. A similar pair of lions adorns the sarcophagus of Shi Jun, found in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, in 2003 (see Yang Junkai, Xi’an Shi Jun mu (Xi’an: Xi’an shi wenwu baohu yanjiusuo, 2014), 杨军凯，西安史君墓). Other comparable examples include the eight lion heads attached to the sarcophagus of Yu Hong, excavated in Taiyuan, Shanxi province in the early 2000 (Taiyuan shi wenwu kaogu yanjiusuo, Sui dai Yu Hong mu (Beijing: Wenwu Press, 2005) 太原市文物考古研究所 (编). 《隋代虞弘墓》. 北京: 文物出版社. 2005年9月1日. ISBN 978750101668).

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