Parasol

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

While this parasol is of French make, the accession records suggest that it was purchased in South America by a United States serviceman (the donor's father). The intricate carving on the handle is very detailed, depicting a variety of motifs including male and female figures and architectural structures that are vertically aligned with a sense of perspective as is a hallmark of Asian artistry. The records also describe the end of the handle as a "dragon's head with a movable tongue."

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art