Ming Huang and Yang Gueifei Listening to Music
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UNIDENTIFIED COURT PAINTER Chinese, Ming dynasty Ming Huang and Yang Gueifei Listening to Music, 1368-1400 |
Handscroll; ink and light color on silk Seals: three interpolated seals of Qian Zuan (about 1235-after 1300) Museum purchase 1936.4 |
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| Copyright Notice | ||
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The great Tang emperor Ming Huang (reigned A.D. 712-56) was an outstanding patron of the arts, and music flourished at his court. This subject- women orchestral musicians playing for the emperor and his concubine Yang Gueifei- is known in several versions that go back from Ming through Song (A.D. 960-1279) to a famous Tang (A.D. 618-907) painting, or a Five Dynasties (A.D 907-960) prototype (now lost). The work illustrated here, which recalls the painting of the Yuan dynasty (about 1280-1368) court, has features that signal a new interpretation of an older style: sophisticated poses, complex relationships between figures, exquisite calligraphic drawing, and harmonious colors. Three seals affixed to the end of the scene, attributed to Qian Xuan, are modern additions. -EdeSS |
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