The Yuan dynasty was one of the most innovative periods in the decorative arts of China. The native arts of pottery and lacquer were transformed by the coming together of artistic traditions from the north and the south, while craftsmen brought into China from other areas of the greater Mongol Empire introduced new skills to weaving and metalwork.

Relative to the decorative arts of previous periods, those of the Yuan dynasty can be distinguished by a predilection for three-dimensional form and elaborate surface decoration. The former is demonstrated by high-relief carving on lacquer. Painted decoration was applied to all types of Yuan ceramics, of which the blue-and-white porcelain of Jingdezhen is the best known and appreciated. Both technically and artistically, the decorative arts of the Yuan period remain unsurpassed.

Vessel (Hu), Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), China. Bronze; H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm). Lent by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Museum

Both this bronze and another in the exhibition (see next image) are representative types of vessels invented during the Yuan period. While they reinterpret the forms of and decorations on archaic ritual vessels, some of their patterns are entirely of their time.

Vessel (Hu), Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), China. Bronze; H. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm). Lent by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Museum

"The world of Kubilai Khan" @ Metropolitan Museum New York, september 28, 2010 - january 2, 2011 www.metmuseum.org