Valance

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This table valance's main pattern, the frontal view of a four-clawed dragon (mang) with clouds, waves, and mountains, is paired with an upper panel that features a book and some vessels, one of them a ceramic with a crackled glaze. They appear with two angled musical stones that flank a lantern, symbolizing the imminence of a happy event.

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