Hand warmer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This jewel-like hand warmer is an elegant example of a functional object. Before the invention of modern heating, Chinese used various utensils to warm up their living spaces, such as stove-beds, braziers, and hand warmers. Containing a glowing piece of charcoal embedded in ash, this vessel would have provided a welcome source of warmth in an unheated room. For upscale families, such closely held utensils were often beautifully designed. Zhang Mingqi (act. 17th c.), who signed the current piece, was known as the most outstanding maker of hand warmers during the late Ming and Qing dynasties.

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