Presentation Box

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Until recent times, boxes for presenting gifts and documents had been used in China for centuries. In prosperous south China in the early seventeenth century, most of these boxes were of elongated rectangular shape and many were lavishly decorated. The decorations were related to the use of such boxes on various occasions. In the middle of the lid of this example is a scene of a young man drawing a bow to shoot at a target in the form of a screen with a pair of phoenixes, a representation of the betrothal of Lady Dou to Li Yuan, later Emperor Gaozu, the founder of the Tang dynasty. Li Yuan was able to hit the eyes of both phoenixes with two arrows, thus winning the hand of Lady Dou. Above is a young man paying respects to an elder, with a page holding a box containing the young man's present. Below is a felicitation scene of a couple seated at a table being toasted by friends and guests. Between the frames bracketing the scenes are a pair of leaping carps, symbolizing success at the civil-service examinations, and a pair of cranes, connoting longevity.

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