Fan

Date1877

Label TextThis 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.

Object number35.613

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Pure Amusements: Wealth, Leisure, and Culture in Late Imperial China, Dec. 24, 2016 - May 15, 2022.

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

MediumWood