Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
dated 1607
Medium
Handscroll; ink wash on silk brocade
Dimensions
13 1/2 x 182 1/4 in. (34.3 x 462.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry Shupak, 1953
Accession Number
53.150
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Gathering at the Orchid**, created by the Ming dynasty artist Qian Gong in 1607, is a captivating handscroll painted in ink wash on luxurious silk brocade. Measuring an impressive 13½ by 182¼ inches, this work unfolds like a narrative tapestry, inviting viewers to slowly reveal scenes of elegant scholars gathered amid nature. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art department, it exemplifies the refined literati painting tradition of late Ming China (1368–1644), where artists like Qian Gong blended poetry, calligraphy, and subtle ink techniques to evoke harmony between humans an...