This imaginary portrait of Tang Dynasty poet Meng Haoran (689–740) is exquisitely carved by Chen Yao, who signs his name after citing three quotations about Meng. The first quote, composed after Meng’s death, describes him as someone who “did not follow the ancients, yet had a wondrous creative ingenuity”—literally, he had a “craftsman’s mind.” The figure seated under a wutong tree has a scholarly aura, but the quotation also highlights the craftsmanship that produced this fan’s delicate carving.
Wood
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
35.613
Not currently on view
Resources
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022.
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