The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Tray with Figures in a Landscape

Art Object

Buddhism along the Silk Road

Thousands of years of trade and invasion brought Buddhist monks into contact with merchants and nomadic peoples in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. This short video, produced in conjunction with the exhibition Buddhism along the Silk Road: 5th–8th Century, shows how these interactions occurred.

Video/Audio (3)

Cambodian Rattan: The Sculpture of Sopheap Pich
(00:02:07) 2293 views

Sunday at the Met: Cambodian Rattan Discussion
(00:57:05) 68 views

Sunday at the Met: Cambodian Rattan Performance
(00:28:04) 65 views

Tray with Figures in a Landscape

Period:: Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:: 14th century
Culture:: China
Medium:: Black lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl
Dimensions:: H. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm); Diam. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm); Diam. of foot 17 in. (43.2 cm)
Classification:: Lacquer
Credit Line:: Lent by Florence and Herbert Irving
Accession Number:: L.1995.46

This artwork is not on display

Description

The drama unfolding on this tray—soldiers approaching a group of drinking men-undoubtedly illustrates a literary work. The scene is further embellished with a deer, a pine, and a crane—all auspicious symbols connoting emoluments and longevity.
See also
What
Lacquer (1,746)

Mother of pearl (458)
Where
Asia (68,257)

China (17,423)
When
A.D. 1000-1400 (7,082)
In the Museum
Asian Art (35,226)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
China, 1000–1400 A.D.

Central and North Asia, 1000–1400 A.D.