七言絶句|Chinese Poem on Fishing and Zen
late 15th century
Medium
Hanging scroll: ink on paper decorated in gold
Dimensions
Image: 8 5/8 × 19 11/16 in. (21.9 × 50 cm) Overall with mounting: 43 3/4 × 22 5/8 in. (111.1 × 57.5 cm)
Classification
Calligraphy
Culture & Period
Japan · Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2021
Accession Number
2021.398.11
Art Historical Context
In the serene elegance of the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Japanese Zen monk Osen Keisan (川景山) created this exquisite hanging scroll, *Seven-Character Quatrain: Chinese Poem on Fishing and*, around the late 15th century. Rendered in bold ink strokes on gold-flecked paper, the work measures 8⅝ × 19¹¹/₁₆ inches, designed to unfurl dramatically for contemplation or display. This classification as calligraphy highlights its dual role as poetry and visual art, a hallmark of Zen aesthetics where brushwork embodies spiritual discipline. The poem, a *qiyan jueju*—a concise Chinese verse form of four...