Mirror with knobs and swirls

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Song antiquarian catalogues refer to this décor pattern as “nipples.” Later collectors and scholars described it as a “star and cloud” patterns, but without either textual or archaeological evidence. A more plausible theory argues that the design evolved from the disintegration of an earlier pattern of interlaced dragons.

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