南宋 佚名 明皇幸蜀圖 軸|Emperor Xuanzong's Flight to Shu
mid-12th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions
Image: 44 3/4 × 32 5/8 in. (113.7 × 82.9 cm) Overall with mounting: 95 1/2 × 54 in. (242.6 × 137.2 cm) Overall with knobs: 57 1/2 × 95 1/2 in. (146.1 × 242.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.138
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Emperor Xuanzong Flight to Shu*, a masterful hanging scroll from China's Southern Song dynasty (112–1279), created by an unidentified artist around the mid-12th century. This, color, and gold painting silk vividly captures a pivotal moment from the Tang dynasty (618–907): Emperor Xuanzong's desperate escape to the Sichuan region (Shu) amid the chaos of the An Lushan in 755–756 CE. Amid towering mountains and winding paths, the emperor's entourage—soldiers, horses, and attendants—trudges forward, evoking the drama of imperial downfall and human frailty. Southern Song artists excelled i...