Skip to main content

This exhibition is no longer on view. See what’s on at SAM.

Live Long and Prosper: Auspicious Motifs in East Asian Art

Aug 20 2010–Feb 12 2012

Seattle Asian Art Museum

This installation from the permanent collection features works from the Chinese, Japanese and Korean collections, including paintings, lacquerware, jades, textiles and porcelain. The selected objects denote something auspicious either through their surface motifs or by taking the shape of fortune-bearing plants or animals. The exhibition places particular focus on motifs related to longevity and prosperity, from wishes for a happy marriage to symbols of wealth. Of particular interest is the way in which certain motifs are carried through all three East Asian cultures while other symbols are unique to one country.

—Catherine Roche, Interim Assistant Curator for Asian Art

Related events

Nothing to see here, check back soon!

See what’s on at SAM


What’s on at Seattle Asian Art Museum