Emperor and Two Attendants
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
10 x 5 15/16 in. (25.4 x 15.1 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (?) (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Collection of A. W. Bahr, Purchase, Fletcher Fund, 1947
Accession Number
47.18.145
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Emperor and Two Att*, a delicate album leaf painting in ink and color on silk, just 10 by 5 15/16 inches. Attributed to the unidentified artist Yan Liben—or perhaps a later follower—this intimate work hails from China's Ming dynasty (13681644), though its exact date remains unknown. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Art Department, it entered the collection through the Fletcher Fund purchase in 1947 from A. W. Bahr. Yan Liben, a renowned Tang dynasty (618–907) court painter famed for his precise portraits of emperors and officials, likely inspired this scene of imperial h...