Top of a bridge pin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sumptuous gilt bronze ornament in the shape of a mountain with wild animals would have decorated one of the tuning pegs that hold strings of a se, a plucked string instrument popular during the Zhou and Han dynasties. The numerous small holes on the piece served to attach it to the wooden peg. Comparable examples have been found in the tombs of the King of Nanyue, in Guangzhou, Guangdong, and the King of Jiangdu at Da Yun Shan, in Xuyi, Jiangsu.

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