Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
The Military Door Guard “Rise in Rank”
Not on view
This warrior with a soft expression and slanted eyes holds a basin in which a dynamic blue goblin wields a book and a rice measure while looking back at a branch bearing three yuan (citrons). The impish figure is Kuixing, a star in Chinese astrology in charge of letters. The three citrons symbolize success at the three levels of civil service examinations that paved the way to coveted officialdom, because the fruit’s name puns on the top rank at those examinations.
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