Jar

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the eighth and ninth centuries, technically advanced Xing wares were the rarest and most valued ceramics in Asia. Some are known to have been used at the Chinese court. Others were either diplomatic gifts or trade goods sent to centers such as the Abbasid court in Iraq, where they inspired poetry comparing them to the luster of a pearl or of the moon.

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