NEW-YORK+ The traditional East Asian lunar calendar consists of a repeating twelve-year cycle, with each year corresponding to one of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. The association of these creatures with the Chinese calendar began in the third century BCE and became firmly established by the first century CE. The twelve animals are, in sequence: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each is believed to embody certain traits that are manifested in the personalities of people born in that year. January 29, 2025, marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake, a creature characterized as alert, calm, and smart.

Celebrating the Year of the Snake presents a remarkable selection of works drawn from the Museum’s collection illustrating the significant role that the snake plays in Chinese culture, including a 3,000-year-old bronze ritual vessel with a spout formed by joined snakes’ heads, a 13th-century pottery figure of a mischievously smiling snake, and an 18th-century exquisitely painted porcelain cup portraying a scene from the “Legend of the White Snake,” a popular folktale of love and romance between humans and fantastic creatures.

The exhibition is made possible by the Joseph Hotung Fund.

Through February 10, 2026

Spouted water container (He), late 14th century BCE, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–1046 BCE). Bronze. H. 21.6 cm; W. 14.3 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Ernest Erickson Foundation, 1985 (1985.214.1a, b).

This ritual water container is among the earliest bronze vessels decorated with snakes. In this example the serpent’s open jaws form the spout. Straps would have been threaded through the lugs on the shoulder and holes on the foot to hold the vessel.
 

Mirror with animals of the four directions, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE), mid to late 1st BCE. Silver, bronze. Diam. 11.7 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1916 (16.158.1)

The iconography of the animals of the four cardinal directions did not become standardized until the end of 1st century B.C. Here, the animal of the north is an imaginary beast with a curling tail and spikes on its back rather than the standard entwined turtle and snake. This suggests that the mirror dates to the mid to late 1st century B.C. The silvery tone of many mirrors is the result of high tin content in the bronze alloy. The added sheen on the tiger and dragon suggest a further manipulation during the casting process.

Mirror with game board design, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220), 1st–2nd century. Bronze with black patina. Diam. 17.8 cm; D. 1.1 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Paul E. Manheim, 1967 (67.253.2)

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The diagrammatic decoration on the back of this mirror points to a new cosmology. The square world—aligned with the four cardinal directions and inscribed with the “twelve earthly branches” used to compute the calendar—is surrounded by the circular heavens ringed in turn by the waves of the cosmic ocean. Sharing the heavenly realm with the animals of the four directions (the red bird of the south, white tiger of the west, entwined turtle and snake of the north, and the blue dragon of the east) and other mythical creatures are T-, L-, and V-shaped markings that recall the measuring devices and rulers used by Fu Xi and Nu Wa, who were believed to have created the universe. The same “TLV” design also appears on the liubo game board, suggesting that a game of chance also plays a part in the workings of the universe.

Mirror with game board design and animals of the four directions, Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), 1st–2nd century. Bronze with black patina. Diam. 16.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1917 (17.118.42)

On the back of this mirror, a diagrammatic decoration points to a new cosmology. The square world—aligned with the four cardinal directions and inscribed with the “twelve earthly branches” used to compute the calendar—is surrounded by the circular heavens, in turn ringed by the waves of the cosmic ocean. Animals of the four directions (the green dragon of the east, white tiger of the west, red bird of the south, and entwined black turtle and snake of the north) and other mythical creatures share the heavens with T-, L-, and V-shaped markings. These recall the measuring devices and rulers used by Fu Xi and Nu Wa, who were believed to have created the universe.

Chinese zodiac figure: Snake, Jin (1115–1234) to Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), 13th century. Grey earthenware with pigment. H. 11.1 cm; W. 7.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, 1994 (1994.605.38)

By the late Jin and Yuan dynasties, the twelve animals of the zodiac were scarcely included in burials. They were often depicted with exaggerated physical features; their heads are disproportionately large and their expressions are playful and mischievous, like cartoon figures. The snake, for example, smirks and rolls its bulging eyes as it raises its head above its coiled body.

Mirror with symbols of the four cardinal directions, Sui (581–618)–Tang (618–907) dynasty, 7th century. Bronze. Diam. 20 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, 2022 (2022.151)

The four mythological creatures depicted on this mirror refer to symbols of the cardinal directions: the green dragon of the east, white tiger of the west, red bird of the south, and entwined black snake and tortoise of the north. These associations emerged in Chinese cosmology around the third century BCE and became firmly established in the following centuries. A long inscription encircling the animals, elegantly calligraphed in relief, illustrates a critical phase in the development of Chinese writing, when the regular script attained its standard form.

Set of twelve zodiac animals: Snake, Tang dynasty (618–907), 8th century. Earthenware with white slip. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Charlotte C. Weber, 2000 (2000.662.7.f)

By the Eastern Han dynasty (9–220 CE), the conventional order of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals was well established. Subsequently, they were paired with ten other calendrical elements, forming a rotating cycle of sixty that was used in China to count the years until the twentieth century. The animals, along with this calendrical system, were also adopted by many other East Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

As burial practices grew more elaborate, pottery animals wearing official robes became popular tomb offerings, presumably as symbols of renewal and regeneration. These figures were once colorfully painted, but only the white slip, which usually served as a base for decoration, has survived.

Daoist priest with zodiac animal, snake, Song dynasty (960–1279). Stoneware with brown glaze. H. 21.3 cm; W. 6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, 1994 (21994.605.59)

A dramatic change took place in the representation of zodiac animals during the Song dynasty, when they were no longer made as half-human and half-animal figures and their sizes were significantly reduced. The animals, now in the form of small human sculptures generally made of glazed stoneware and decorated with modest colors, were visualized as either civil officials or Daoist practitioners. Their identifying animal was depicted on their hat brim or held in their hands.

Daoist deity Zhenwu, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 15th century. Stoneware with overglaze enamel decoration (Cizhou ware). H. 25.7 cm; W. 45.7 cm; D. 10.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Julia and John Curtis, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th anniversary, 2019 (2019.446.2)

The Daoist god known as Zhenwu is the personification of the ancient symbol of the north, an entwined tortoise and snake. In the eleventh century this powerful symbol was given a human form by the Song emperors, who erected temples to worship the deity. Zhenwu became particularly popular during the Ming dynasty, when he was revered as a protector of the empire and the imperial family. This figure was created for personal veneration on a home altar.

Panel with the five poisonous creatures, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Wanli period (1573–1620). Silk in patterned simple gauze, 48.3 × 55.9 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The B.D.G. Leviton Foundation Gift, 1987 (1987.7)

Woven using one of the oldest and most developed techniques of Chinese textiles, this gauze features subtle patterns in a monochrome palette. The design presents five poisonous creatures: the centipede, lizard, scorpion, snake, and toad. Their protective qualities are called upon during the Duanwu Festival, or the Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. People wear clothes and use objects depicting these creatures during the festival to ward off harm.

Zodiac Figure: Snake, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 17th century. Porcelain, portions unglazed and with turquoise and aubergine glazes. H. 15.2 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Birgit and Peter Morse, in memory of Betty and Sydney Morse, 1992 (1992.100.5)

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries witnessed a revival of half-human, half-animal depictions of the zodiac, which were probably inspired by an antiquarian interest. Each animal is cast like an enthusiastic actor, dressed in a purple jacket and blue pants and striking an animated pose. This small porcelain sculpture is from a twelve-piece set that would have been displayed in a residence, serving both as an auspicious decoration and as a means to dispel evil influences.

Twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, Snake, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th–19th century. Jade (nephrite). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902 (02.18.730f)

The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are popular decorative motifs that appear in various media. This set, made of flawless pale green jade, would have been especially prized. Qing-dynasty master carvers individualized each animal with distinctive accessories and varied postures. The snake, for example, sits calmly with his hands in long, loose sleeves. This set is from the collection of Heber R. Bishop.

Cup with narrative scene from the “Legend of the White Snake”, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), first half 19th century. Porcelain painted in overglaze polychrome enamels (Jingdezhen ware). H. 6 cm; Diam. 10.8 cm; Diam. of foot 6.4 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase by subscription, 1879 (79.2.1281)

The dramatic scene on this porcelain cup depicts an exciting episode in the popular folktale the “Legend of the White Snake.” Incarnated as a woman warrior, the White Snake stands on the front of a boat and wields two swords, fighting against the cold-hearted abbot who abducted her husband and kept him in his monastery. Numerous deities from the sea, including the spirits of clams, crabs, fish, shrimp, and turtles, join her heroic endeavor.