Object Image

Folding Case with Characters for Longevity (Shou and Kao)

This case is decorated with the characters shou kao, meaning longevity, on a fretwork ground that incorporates the swastika, or wan, signifying ten thousand years.

Credit: Bequest of William Christian Paul, 1929...

18th-19th century
Silk and metallic thread embroidery on silk gauze
27.3 x 8.9cm
30.75.757
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019

Where you'll find this

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection