Valance

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Valances were frequently used in Chinese interiors—on tables and platform beds and above open entryways. Embroidered on this valance are cranes and peaches, auspicious symbols of longevity. The woven silks at the top and bottom date to the eighteenth century.

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