MET-itations by Leslie Sewell

  This gallery which is a very long narrow room contains objects relating to the East Asian Zodiac.  In this zodiac each month is represented by an animal.  Every year one animal represents the whole year and the cycle revolves every year so after twelve years it returns to the first animal.  This year is the year of the snake and many of the objects are very snakelike.  The other animals of this zodiac are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.  This use of the zodiac began in China in the third century BCE. The year you are born corresponds to one of the animals on the zodiac.  I was born in the year of goat which is sometimes also known as the sheep.  The characteristics on this animal are supposed to be gentleness, kindness and peace and they are also supposed to be artistic.  I'm not sure I have any of these characteristics but it's nice to think that I can aspire to them.  This dragon head, which...

  This more than life statute of Buddha stands at one end of this enormous gallery.  This statue probably from the second century CE is an example of the Chinese adaptation of Indian  Buddhism.  This large gallery with high ceilings is sparsely filled.  Two large statues, a tapestry and a few smaller items.  This adds to the awe inspiring feeling of the room.  This room also functions as a sort of ante-room to the rest of the Asian collection of the Met. As I meditate on it I think of a recent poem I came across.  It has no attribution I could find but  I often recite it silently. In moments of great stillness When we contemplate things which no mouth can utter— At that hour let us deepen the insight that we have. Let us look inward. Let us lift up our lives as if we were lifting a bucket from a well. It is incumbent on us to strive for self understanding. It is incumbent on us to balance the forces working in our souls.

  These pictures show some of the development of Chinese ceramics from 7th Century Tang  Dynasty, through the 14th Century Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty from the 16th to early 20th Century.  The one of the far left is Qing, the blue and white Ming and the pure white is Tang. To my eyes the Qing dynasty ceramics are gaudy but they were produced after China was opened to the West and were popular for export.  The Ming which are often just cobalt and white are more restrained and the Tang are the most austere.  It is interesting to contemplate the changes a culture goes through as reflected in its art.  Although much of Chinese history is turbulent both the Tang and Ming periods were of relative stability.  Thye Qing quite a bit less so as this was the period where Western powers tried to impose their views and economies on China. These pieces run along a long hallway alongside the Grand Staircase and leading to the great...

 This gold mask reminds me of the wonderful time I had at the Gold Museum in Bogota.  The craftsmanship of this fine pieces from pre-Columbian civilizations demonstrate the high level of artistic endeavor or these people.   Again reminding me of how much we owe these ancient people.  It's difficult to imagine what life was really like for them but I try and wonder how I would do in that milieu.  Staring at this object I wonder if it represents a god or a king or perhaps something else.  Even the curators only make (very) educated guesses.  I spend a lot of time just looking at this.

According to the Met this gallery contains  monumental artworks from the large island of New Guinea and the coastal archipelagos that stretch beyond its shores to the north, central, and eastern Pacific, as well as the two neighboring regions of Australia and Island Southeast Asia, whose Indigenous communities all share a common ancestry.  This is the area where Michael Rockefeller disappeared in 1961 during an exploration of the area while searching for indigenous art work. His disappearance remains a mystery but his remains have never been found.   The monumental carved figures which have ritual significance as well as the many other beautiful objects invite a sense of awe.  They are both beautiful and spiritual.