Buddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese Robe

Buddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese Robe

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This large rectangular patchwork is a Japanese kesa, or Buddhist priest's vestment, that was made from a Chinese court robe with its characteristic pattern of dragons. Dragon robes were rare and valued in Japan in the eighteenth century, and several Japanese kesa made from Chinese dragon robes survive in various collections around the world. The dragons on this kesa, as well as on the Chinese court robe also displayed here, are five-clawed dragons (long). However, on the kesa, every occurrence of a fifth claw is embroidered over with a cloud pattern, transforming each long into a four-clawed dragon (mang), appropriate for lower ranks. It is not clear when this alteration was made.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Buddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese RobeBuddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese RobeBuddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese RobeBuddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese RobeBuddhist Priest's Vestment made from a Chinese Robe

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.