Plate with landscape of the West Lake

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The principal décor on this plate depicts one of the most famous scenic spots in China: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (Santan Yinyue) in Hangzhou’s West Lake. Two gentlemen sit at their leisure in a nearby water pavilion, enjoying the view of the moon’s reflection in the midst of three small “pagodas”. Integrating painting, calligraphy, and poetry in a work of the “Three Perfections,” the plate is further embellished with a poem on this scenic spot by the sixteenth-century poet Yang Zhou. The inscription followed by a seal impression that reads: “Residence of Wood and Rock (Mushiju),” a ceramic workshop famous for its literati taste in ceramic design from the late 17th to the early 18th century.

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