Box decorated with dragons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This box’s lively design features two dragons chasing a flaming jewel. The beasts’ long, sinewy bodies wrap around the sides of the box; their heads face each other at opposite corners at the top. The dragons’ colorfully variegated bodies are predominately made from ray skin, while mother-of-pearl is strategically inlaid to bring luminescence to the dragons’ eyes and to the clouds. Tortoiseshell forms dark clouds, with wispy, thin-lined clouds made in contrasting wire.

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