元 李堯夫，一山一寧題贊 達摩渡江圖 軸|Bodhidharma crossing the Yangzi River on a reed
before 1317
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Image: 33 3/4 × 13 5/16 in. (85.7 × 33.8 cm) Overall with mounting: 61 1/4 × 14 in. (155.6 × 35.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 61 1/4 × 15 7/8 in. (155.6 × 40.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward Elliott Family Collection, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1982
Accession Number
1982.1.2
Tags
About this artwork
This hanging scroll depicts the legendary moment when Bodhidharma, the Indian patriarch who brought Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China, crossed the Yangzi River standing on a single reed. The painting presents the semi-legendary figure in profile, his robes billowing as he balances miraculously on the fragile reed floating across the water. The composition emphasizes verticality and movement, with the patriarch's elongated form suggesting both physical presence and spiritual transcendence. Li Yaofu, a...