Double-sided Hanging

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The design of the vibrant flowers on this Chinese hanging marks it as an export for Europe. Unlike typical Chinese flowers, their centers dramatically protrude and contrast sharply with the petals, signaling the influence of Indian export textiles with similar floral forms. However, the container of flowers rests on a distinctly Chinese garden rock, stitched in blue and white. Immaculately finished on both sides, the contrasting yellow selvages visible on the red side mark the yellow as the front. The hanging may have been used as a bed curtain, the red side visible to people inside the bed, while the yellow was exposed to the public eye. cat. no. 29

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