Buddhist Ceremonial Alms Bowl

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Along with three garments, a stool, and a water strainer, the alms bowl was traditionally one of only six items that a Buddhist monk could own. While monks’ bowls were most often made of iron or wood, this bowl—cast in bronze, finished on a lathe, gilded, and supplied with a low stand—was probably placed on a Buddhist altar, where it would have been filled with offerings for a Buddhist deity. Its swelling body and the slight inward curve of its rim are typical of bowls produced in the eighth 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