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Mr. Mei Makes an Exchange through Trickery

Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Not on view

This print shows two lovers stepping through a moon gate into a bedroom under the cheerful gaze of a maid. The blossoming prunus (mei in Chinese) reaching over the garden fence signals early spring while punning on the male protagonist’s name for additional resonance between word and image. The scene was taken from a popular late Ming (1368–1644) drama entitled All Things Fulfilled.

Mr. Mei Makes an Exchange through Trickery, Woodblock print; color on paper, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Wanshizu Meishi qiaohuan

Title: Mr. Mei Makes an Exchange through Trickery

Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Culture: China

Medium: Woodblock print; color on paper

Dimensions: Image: 9 1/4 x 10 11/16 in. (23.5 x 27.2 cm)
Overall: 12 3/16 x 13 7/8 in. (31 x 35.3 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum

Accession Number: PI.044

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.