Hexagonal vase with cloud-shaped handles

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This elegant vase represents an aesthetic revolution in its creative reinterpretation of an ancient bronze vessel. Its intricate décor follows archaic models but accommodates contemporary design, such as the vegetal scrolls and modified animal masks. Its long flaring neck and pear-shaped body are unmistakable features of thirteenth to the fourteenth century ceramics. However, its hexagonal form, readily created in cast bronze, influenced contemporary ceramics. The vessel’s intricately-cast patterns are also characteristic of Yuan-dynasty bronzes.

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