Daoist divine official

Qiao Bin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This figure of a Daoist deity is embellished with low-fired lead glaze colors typical of Ming religious ceramic sculptures made in Shanxi Province. An inscription on the back indicates that a certain Daoist priest ordered three sets of sculptures for his monastery in the Tiantan Mountains of Shanxi. Chief among these was a set of the Three Divine Officials (sanguan), Daoist deities who preside over heaven, earth, and water, respectively. The clothing on this sculpture helps to identify it as one of the three officials, though which one is uncertain.

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