Mirror with immortal and phoenix in a landscape

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This mirror depicts an auspicious landscape. To the left, a gentleman wearing a crown sits on a leopard skin strumming a zither (qin) beside a bamboo grove. Before him is a low table set with implements. Opposite the gentleman, a phoenix is perched upon a rock. Between them is a pond ringed with ornamental rocks. A single lotus stalk rises from the middle of the pond, supporting a turtle—a symbol of longevity—on its leaf. A crane—another symbol of longevity—flies toward a pair of trees. In the distance, what may be the sun appears to be setting below cloud-wreathed distant mountains—suggestive of a western paradise.

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