Panel with birthday celebration

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tapestry is part of a set of large ornamental panels. Among the guests honoring the elderly couple are several lively children, probably their grandsons. The man and his wife wear matching robes, appropriate dress for court officials and their wives. As a birthday gift, the three boys at their feet present a hanging scroll bearing the character for longevity (shou) in blue, surrounded by five red bats (fu). Bats were typically used to represent good fortune, as the words are homophones in Chinese.

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