Robe for Tibetan aristocrat (chuba)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In addition to bolts of cloth, court robes were often sent from China to Tibet in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries where they were refitted into a style of dress worn by lay aristocrats. Close examination of the dragons on the upper part of this robe reveals that parts of their bodies do not match precisely, which suggests that this garment was either made from a larger one or pieced together from different robes. Such reworking illustrates the value awarded to Chinese textiles in Tibet at the time.

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