明/清 黃向堅 萬里尋親圖 卷|Searching for My Parents
dated 1656
Medium
Handscroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Image: 14 3/8 in. × 18 ft. 2 in. (36.5 × 553.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 14 3/4 in. × 27 ft. 1 in. (37.5 × 825.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Julia and John Curtis, 2015
Accession Number
2015.784.4
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Huang Xiangjian's *Searching for My Parents* (1656) is a captivating handscroll painted in ink and color on, measuring an impressive 18 feet in length when unrolled. Created during the early Qing dynasty (16441911), this work exemplifies the traditional Chinese handscroll format, designed for slow, sequential viewing that immerses the audience in a narrative journey. The expansive dimensions allow for detailed landscapes and towering mountains, evoking theness of travel across China. The title, *Wanli Xunqin Tu* ("Picture of Searching for Parents Over Ten Thousand Li"), hints at a deeply personal odyssey, rendered through meticulous brushwork that captures rugged terrain and natural beauty. Handscrolls like this were prized in Chinese art for their ability to unfold stories spatially, blending topography with emotional resonance. Huang's use of ink and color brings depth to misty peaks and winding paths, a technique rooted in literati painting traditions. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art department, this Qing-era masterpiece reflects the era's cultural shifts amid Ming-Qing transitions, offering visitors a window into 17th-century China's human and natural landscapes. A true gem for exploring autobiographical elements in painting.
About the Artist
Huang Xiangjian · 1609–1673
Chinese, 1609–1673|