明　佚名　舊傳李公麟　蘭亭修禊圖　團扇|Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion

Art Historical Context

**Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion This exquisite fan painting, mounted as an album leaf, captures the legendary 353 CE gathering of literati at the Orchid Pavilion near Shaoxing, China—an event immortalized in Wang Xizhi's *Lanting Preface*, one of the greatest works of Chinese calligraphy. Created in ink and color on silk during Ming dynasty (16th 17th century), is traditionally attributed to the Northern Song master Li Gonglin (ca. 1049–1106), renowned for his *baimiao* (white-outline) technique. Though by an unidentified artist, the work echoes Li's elegant, linear style, blending subtle colors with fine ink lines to evoke scholarly harmony amid flowing streams and pavilions. The fan format highlights its intimate, portable nature, popular among Ming elites for personal appreciation or gifting. Such depictions of the Orchid Pavilion scene symbolize the joys of poetry, wine, and nature in Chinese literati culture, inspiring countless imitations across centuries. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection (John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1913), this 11½ x 11-inch gem offers a window into timeless ideals of refinement and fleeting beauty.