Weight in the Shape of a Chimera (bixie)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This masterfully cast bronze weight exemplifies a transformation in Chinese art around the second century B.C., when artists began to conceive and create three-dimensional sculptures with anatomical accuracy and naturalistic details that are distinct from the stiffly frontal or profile depictions of the previous period. A legendary beast, the chimera melds the features of a lion with the attributes of the imaginary griffin. The subject originated in Mesopotamian art, starting from Babylon and traveling to China by way of Central Asia, evidence of the frequent contact and exchange between ancient China and Western civilizations.

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