元 佚名 倣趙孟頫 九歌圖 冊|Nine Songs
14th century (?)
Medium
Album of eleven paintings; ink on paper
Dimensions
10 3/8 x 6 1/4 in. (26.4 x 15.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Ex coll.: C. C. Wang Family, Fletcher Fund, 1973
Accession Number
1973.121.15a–p
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite album, titled *Nine Songs* (Jiǔ gē tú), is an anonymous Yuan (1271–1368) work from the 14th century, the refined style of the renowned artist Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322). Comprising eleven delicate ink paintings on paper, each leaf measures just 10⅜ × 6¼ inches (26.4 × 15.9 cm), making it a intimate treasure for scholarly contemplation. The series illustrates the ancient poetic cycle "Nine Songs" from the *Chu Ci* anthology, attributed to the Warring States poet Qu Yuan (ca. 340–278 BCE). These verses evoke shamanistic rituals and mythical encounters between mortals and deities, ren...
About the Artist
Zhao Mengfu · 1254–1322
Chinese, 1254–1322