Tobacco Box

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Natural forms and textures are keenly observed and translated into metal in this exquisitely fashioned box designed to fit the pockets of Western waistcoats and jackets that began to be worn in Japan in the late 1870s. Its surfaces are hammered to simulate weathered lily-pads and other forms of pond life in astonishing detail. The hinge is disguised as the long body of a dragonfly; the clasp opens by pressing a tiny silver knob in the shape of a snail. A striped frog in high relief is inlaid on the surface, its colorful smooth, wet skin rendered in several alloys of copper and silver with gold accents. Skilled chiseling gives the leaping toad nearby its characteristic rough, dry skin.

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