The Collection
The American Wing Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Asian Art The Cloisters The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Robert Lehman Collection The Libraries Medieval Art Musical Instruments Photographs Antonio Ratti Textile Center Modern and Contemporary Art

Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Fragrant Plum Blossoms

late Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Not on view

This charming print with lively flowers and birds is rife with auspicious symbols. Plum blossoms that bloom in the chilly early spring stand for perseverance against hardship. The decorative design on the central pot is a graphic form of the character for “longevity” (shou). The magpies (xi que) are harbingers of happiness, good news, and spring. Together with the plum blossoms (mei), they form a visual pun on the phrase “Happiness (xi) up to one’s eyebrows (mei).”

Fragrant Plum Blossoms, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Meikai shili xiang

Title: Fragrant Plum Blossoms

Period: late Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Culture: China

Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Dimensions: Image: 11 3/4 x 18 5/8 in. (29.9 x 47.3 cm)
Overall: 16 x 21 15/16 in. (40.7 x 55.8 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum

Accession Number: PI.065

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

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.