Stencil with Bats on a Lattice

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The auspiciousness of bats in China is based on wordplay in the Chinese language, which did not carry over to Japan. Nonetheless, bats are found in occasional Japanese contexts, such as the informal crest of the Ichikawa Danjûrô line of Kabuki actors. The bold pattern of this stencil features two freewheeling bats whose eccentric movements are accentuated by the rigid lattice behind them.

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