"Double phoenix" lobed box and cover

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This elaborate box was produced in the Qing imperial workshops at the height of their extraordinary creativity. Its cover, meticulously carved with a pair of phoenixes among stylized clouds, exemplifies the highest standard of craftsmanship from the mid-eighteenth century—a golden age of Chinese lapidary work. Its pattern and form represent an archaistic reinterpretation of gold and silver designs of the Tang dynasty (618–907). The “double phoenix” design also became a very popular motif on imperial Qing artworks in porcelain, jade, glass, metalwork, and many other media.

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