明 唐寅 致若容書 册頁|Letter to Xu Shangde
Medium
Album leaf; ink on paper
Dimensions
Image: 10 3/4 × 25 1/4 in. (27.3 × 64.1 cm) Image (with title strip): 10 3/4 × 25 7/8 in. (27.3 × 65.7 cm)
Classification
Calligraphy
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
Accession Number
1989.363.56
Art Historical Context
This elegant album leaf by Tang Yin (1470–1524), one of the most celebrated figures of the Ming dynasty, preserves a personal letter written in fluid cursive script. Known also as Tang Bohu, the artist belonged to the Wu School of literati painters and was famed for his mastery of poetry, painting, and calligraphy. Created in ink on paper, the work exemplifies the Chinese tradition of treating handwriting itself as fine art, where the rhythm and energy of each brushstroke convey both the writer’s personality and emotional state. As an album leaf, the piece would once have been mounted in a fo...
About the Artist
Tang Yin · 1470–1524
Talented painter whose career as an official painter was ruined by an examination scandal in 1499. Around 1500 he began to study painting with Zhou chen. He was ultimately considered one of the Four Masters of the Ming, along with Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming and Qiu Ying.