明/清 項聖謨 山水花鳥圖 冊|Landscapes, Flowers and Birds
dated 1639
Medium
Album of eight paintings; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
11 1/8 x 8 7/8 in. (28.3 x 22.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward Elliott Family Collection, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1981
Accession Number
1981.285.3a–h
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1639 during the late Ming dynasty, this album by Xiang Shengmo offers an intimate glimpse into the refined world of Chinese literati painting. Titled *Landscapes, Flowers and Birds*, the eight-leaf work combines delicate of natural scenery with lively of flora and fauna Executed in ink and on paper, the format was especially prized in for its portability and scale, inviting quiet contemplation rather than public display. Xiang, active in a period of political transition, drew on long-standing traditions of scholar-artist painting while infusing his compositions with a distinctive sensitivity to seasonal change and the rhythms of nature. The interplay of monochrome ink washes and subtle color accents highlights both his technical versatility and his respect for the classical themes of harmony between humans and the natural world. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the album exemplifies how Ming painters used modest materials to convey profound cultural ideals of retreat, observation, and poetic reflection.
About the Artist
Xiang Shengmo · 1597–1658
Chinese, 1597–1658