北宋 米芾 草書吳江舟中詩 卷|Poem Written in a Boat on the Wu River
ca. 1095
Medium
Handscroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
12 1/4 in. × 18 ft. 3 1/4 in. (31.1 × 556.9 cm)
Classification
Calligraphy
Culture & Period
China · Northern Song dynasty (960–1127)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John M. Crawford Jr., in honor of Professor Wen Fong, 1984
Accession Number
1984.174
Art Historical Context
In the bustling cultural heart of the Northern Song dynasty960–1127), Mi Fu—one of China's four greatest calligraphers—created *Poem Written in a on the Wu River* around 1095. This handscroll, a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1984, captures a moment of poetic spontaneity as Mi composed verses while drifting along the Wu River, blending literati life with artistic genius. At over 18 feet long and just 12 inches high, the ink-on-paper format invites slow, meditative unrolling, a traditional Chinese viewing ritual that heightens its intimacy. Mi Fu's mastery shines in his wild grass scri...
About the Artist
Mi Fu · 1051–1107
Mi Fu (1051–1107), a towering figure of the Northern Song dynasty, was born in Taiyuan into a family with court connections; his mother served as wet nurse to Emperor Yingzong, allowing him to grow up amid the imperial precincts, mingling freely with the royal family. Precociously talented, he displayed early aptitude in calligraphy, poetry, and painting, though he expressed distaste for rigid for...