Flower vase with dragon handles

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This vase embodies the experimental spirit of Yuan bronze designers. It features an extravagant fusion of various contemporary decorative motifs: bold dragon handles, intricate plant scrolls, and two types of dragons along its rim and its foot. Tellingly, the two-dimensional representation of entwined dragons on its foot is replicated in three-dimensional form by a brush rest from the early 14th century. The high relief chevrons encircling the belly of the vessel have no clear precedent. Instead, this bold design feature represents the artist confidently creating a new style that departs from archaic prototypes. This experimental spirit is the most noteworthy feature of Yuan bronze designs. This decorative freedom gradually disappears during the following 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