Hello
I am Zhixin Jason Sun, Curator of Chinese Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
I welcome all of you to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
for a celebration of the Lunar New Year with us
This year, January 22 is the first day of the first month on the lunar calendar
and the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit
To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit
we selected more than ten exquisite works of fine art
from our museum collections and works on loan
to hold a special Year of the Rabbit exhibition
In China
twelve zodiac signs have been used to mark the years
for over two thousand years
The zodiac signs are closely related to people's lives
and are also common motifs in art
There is a set of statuettes of the twelve zodiacs in the Met’s collection
which were painstakingly crafted from pale green Hetian jade
Their designs are unique and the workmanship is exceptional
They are masterpieces from the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty
Each zodiac animal wears a long robe and is seated on the ground
They hold fans, canes, scrolls, and flower baskets in their hands
Each is different, reflecting their different personality traits
This set of animals here
is placed in the order of the twelve zodiac signs
From left to right, they are rat, ox, tiger,
rabbit, dragon, snake,
horse, sheep, monkey,
chicken, dog, pig
Each animal represents one year
and each cycle is made up of twelve years
Traditionally
these twelve animals embody different personality traits
It is said that a person born in a certain zodiac year
will have a personality similar to that zodiac
For example, the personality of people born in the Year of the Rabbit would be
smart, quiet, kind, friendly, and so on
The earliest work on display in this exhibit is a piece from the 11th century BC
a bronze chariot linchpin from the Western Zhou dynasty
From the image on the right, you can see that
the purpose of the linchpin is to secure the wheel firmly onto the axle
Rabbits are fast and agile
Therefore, the rabbit design on this linchpin is not just a decoration
but also implies the chariot's fast speed
In Chinese folklore
Chang'e and Jade Rabbit live in the Guanghan Palace on the moon
Jade Rabbit pounds medicine under the osmanthus tree all year round
to make the elixir of immortality
In ancient China
the imperial examinations were usually held once every three years
so it was very difficult to achieve scholarly rank (or pass the examinations)
That's why it was likened to going to the Moon Palace to pluck off a branch of the osmanthus tree
The story of going to the Moon Palace to pluck off a branch of osmanthus tree
is what is embroidered on this vivid Qing dynasty silk mirror case
Chang'e is standing in front of the Moon Palace
and handing a branch of the osmanthus tree to the scholar who has passed the examinations
Next to her is the Jade Rabbit, working hard to make medicine
Rabbits are a very common motif in ceramic art
There is a long-necked blue and white vase decorated with rabbits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection
This is a masterpiece from the Ming dynasty
By the Ming dynasty
the technology of using the mineral cobalt for color and creating blue and white porcelain in high fire
had grown more mature
The porcelain produced is brightly colored,
the quality is high and fine
Large quantities were sold to Southeast Asia, South Asia
and the Middle East
The four rabbits on this vase have different poses,
and are lively and agile
The surrounding intertwining flowers originated from Islamic art
indicating frequent interactions between Chinese and foreign cultures
The most striking work in this exhibition
is none other than the white porcelain zodiac rabbit figurine from the Tang Dynasty
It has pointy ears, chubby cheeks
and two shiny black eyes that are bright, lively and adorable
It is a rare exquisite work of art
The rabbit is a symbol of peace, friendship, joy, and auspiciousness
We are hoping that in 2023, the Jade Rabbit will
bring us health, peace, joy
and a wonderful new year
Thank you!