Brush Pot with Scene of Washing an Elephant

Brush Pot with Scene of Washing an Elephant

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Found in paintings as well as the decorative arts, the theme of figures washing an elephant, or sao xiang, is a pun on the Buddhist notion of the illusionary nature of the phenomenal world.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Brush Pot with Scene of Washing an ElephantBrush Pot with Scene of Washing an ElephantBrush Pot with Scene of Washing an ElephantBrush Pot with Scene of Washing an ElephantBrush Pot with Scene of Washing an Elephant

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.