明 傳馬守真 蘭石圖 軸|Orchid and Rock
dated 1572
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Image: 20 3/4 x 11 1/2 in. (52.7 x 29.2 cm) Image (with inscription): 27 5/8 x 11 1/2 in. (70.2 x 29.2 cm) Overall with mounting: 81 1/2 x 18 3/4 in. (207 x 47.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 81 1/2 x 23 in. (207 x 58.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward Elliott Family Collection, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1982
Accession Number
1982.1.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hanging scroll, *Orchid and Rock*, attributed to Ma Shouzhen dated 1572, the refined literati painting tradition of the late Ming dynasty (13681644). Ma Shouzhen, a courtesan, poet, and artist from Nanjing, was celebrated for her orchid paintings, which captured the delicate beauty of these flowers with minimalist ink washes on paper. Rendered in subtle tones of gray ink, the orchids emerge gracefully from rugged rocks, evoking a sense of elegant harmony amid nature's austerity. In Chinese culture, orchids purity, integrity, and scholarly virtue—ideals cherished by Ming literat...