Box Lid with a Bull

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Box lids are a rare Gandharan example of non-religious art. The animal surrounded by swirling foliage is a motif originally found in north India. Such luxury objects moved readily along the trade routes to Afghanistan and Central Asia and are the clear source for images such as the goose with foliate tale from the Khotan site of Pialma (see 30.32.8).

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