Ritual Ewer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This small gilt-bronze object may have served as a ritual vessel called a kundika in Sanskrit, which held water used during Buddhist ceremonies and is one of the eighteen implements Buddhist monks and nuns need in order to perform their duties. Most East Asian kundika take the shape of long-necked bottles, although some examples have short, bulbous bodies like this one. However, its shape and diminutive size are also reminiscent of a water dropper.

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