Rank Badge with Decoration of Two Cranes among Clouds

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Rank badges embroidered with one or two cranes flying among clouds were reserved for civil, rather than military, officials. Usually woven of colorful threads, the design here has a limited two-tone palette of white and green-blue. Such badges were usually worn during the one hundred days after the three-year mourning period following the death of a king or queen.

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