Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

• 

  Dragon Pine, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), ca. 1400
  Wu Boli (Chinese, active late 14th–early 15th century)
  Hanging scroll; ink on paper; Image 48 x 13 1/4 in. (121.9 x 33.7 cm), Overall with mounting 100 x 18 5/8 in. (254 x 47.3 cm), Overall with knobs 100 x 21 in. (254 x 53.3 cm)
  Edward Elliott Family Collection, Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1984 (1984.475.3)

• 
  Sutra box, Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403–1424)
  China
  Red lacquer with qiangjin (incised and gilt decoration); 5 1/2 x 15 x 5 in. (14 x 40.6 x 12.7 cm)
  Purchase, Sir Joseph Hotung and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gifts, 2001 (2001.584a-c)
  
• 

  Bodhisattva Manjushri as Tikshna-Manjushri (Minjie Wenshu Pusa), Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24)
  China
  Gilt brass, lost-wax cast; H. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
  Purchase, Rogers Fund, 2001 (2001.59)

• 
  Rank badge, Ming dynasty, early 15th century
  China
  Embroidery: colored silk floss, wrapped gold thread, and flat gold on silk gauze; 14 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. (36.8 x 36.2 cm)
  Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, in Honor of Myron S. Falk Jr., 1988 (1988.154.1)
  
• 
  Dish with scalloped rim, Ming dynasty, early 15th century
  China
  Cloisonné; Diam. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
  Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1993 (1993.338)
  
• 
  Traveling box, Ming dynasty, early 15th century
  China
  Leather, wood, iron, gold, and pigments; 21 x 15 x 21 1/2 in. (53.3 x 38.1 x 31.8 cm)
  Purchase, Rogers and Fletcher Funds, and Henry G. Keasbey Bequest, 1999 (1999.61)
  
• 
  Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden, Ming dynasty, ca. 1437
  After Xie Huan (Chinese, ca. 1370–ca. 1450)
  China
  Handscroll; ink and color on silk; 14 3/8 x 94 3/4 in. (36.7 x 240.7 cm)
  Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1989 (1989.141.3)
  
• 
  Jar, Ming dynasty, Xuande mark and period (1426–1435)
  China
  Porcelain painted in underglaze blue; H. 19 in. (48.3 cm)
  Gift of Robert E. Tod, 1937 (37.191.1)
  
• 
  Bamboo in Wind, Ming dynasty, ca. 1460
  Xia Chang (Chinese, 1388–1470)
  China
  Hanging scroll; ink on paper; 80 1/4 x 23 1/2 in. (203.8 x 59.7 cm)
  Inscribed by the artist (lower right): "Done by the Free and Easy Retired Scholar [Zizai jushi]; by Qian Bo (active mid-15th century; upper right), dated 1460; by Liu Jue (1410–1472; upper left), dated 1470
  Edward Elliott Family Collection, Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1989 (1989.235.1)
  
• 
  Welcoming Spring, Ming dynasty, 15th century
  China
  Embroidery on silk gauze; 84 x 25 in. (213.3 x 63.5 cm)
  Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1981 (1981.410)
  
• 
  Two Hawks in a Thicket, Ming dynasty, 15th century
  Lin Liang (Chinese, ca. 1416–ca. 1480)
  China
  Hanging scroll; ink and pale color on silk; 58 9/16 x 33 1/16 in. (149 x 84 cm)
  Gift of Bei Shan Tang Foundation, 1993 (1993.385)
  
• 
  Garden of the Unsuccessful Politician, Ming dynasty, dated 1551
  Wen Zhengming (Chinese, 1470–1559)
  Album of eight paintings with facing pages of calligraphy; ink on paper; 10 7/16 x 10 3/4 in. (26.6 x 27.3 cm)
  Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1979 (1979.458.1)
  
• 
  Cup, Ming dynasty, Chenghua mark and period (1465–1487)
  China
  Porcelain painted in underglaze blue and overglaze enamels; D. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
  Purchase, Mrs. Richard E. Linburn Gift, 1987 (1987.85)
  
• 
  Dish, Ming dynasty, Hongzhi mark and period (1488–1505)
  China
  Porcelain painted in underglaze blue with yellow, overglaze enamels; Diam. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1919 (19.28.10)
  
• 

  Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains
  Dong Qichang (Chinese, 1555–1636)
  Hanging scroll; ink on paper; Image: 62 3/8 x 28 3/8 in. (158.4 x 72.1 cm)
  Inscribed by the artist
  Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1979 (1979.75.2)

• 

  Pipa, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), late 15th–early 16th century
  China
  Wood, ivory, bone, silk; L. 37 in. (94 cm), W. 9 15/16 in. (25.3 cm), D. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm)
  Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950 (50.145.74)

• 
  Jar, Ming dynasty, Jiajing mark and period (1522–1566)
  China
  Porcelain painted in underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels; H. 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1917 (17.127.2)
  
• 

  Landscapes, dated 1630
  Dong Qichang (Chinese, 1555–1636)
  Album of eight paintings; ink on paper; 9 5/8 x 6 5/16 in. (24.4 x 16 cm)
  Four paintings and two facing pages inscribed by the artist
  Edward Elliott Family Collection, Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1986 (1986.266.5)

• 
  Wardrobe, Ming dynasty, 16th century
  China
  Wood (Huanghuali/Dalbergia odoriferal); 103 3/4 x 56 x 24 3/4 in. (263.5 x 142.2 x 62.9 cm)
  Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1976 (1976.193.8)
  
• 
  Portrait of the Artist's Great Grand Uncle Yizhai at the Age of Eighty-Five, Ming dynasty, dated xiyou (1561 or 1621)
  Zude (Chinese, surname unknown; active 16th or early 17th century)
  China
  Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; 61 3/4 x 37 7/8 in. (156.8 x 96.2 cm)
  Inscribed by the artist
  Seymour Fund, 1959 (59.49.1)
  
• 
  The Sixteen Luohans, Ming dynasty, dated 1591
  Wu Bin (Chinese, active ca. 1583–1626)
  China
  Handscroll; ink and color on paper; 12 5/8 x 163 1/8 in. (32 x 414.3 cm)
  Inscribed by the artist
  Edward Elliott Family Collection, Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1986 (1986.266.4)
  
• 

  Medallion with Return from a Spring Outing, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), late 16th–early 17th century
  China
  Ivory; Diam. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm)
  Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1993 (1993.176)

• 

  Rag-dung, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), early 17th century
  China
  Copper, cloisonné, brass; L. 74 in. (188 cm); (1989.33) L. 76 9/16 in. (194.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1989 (1989.33)
  Purchase, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Freedman, by exchange, 1988 (1988.349)

• 
  Incense holder, late 16th–early 17th century
  Zhu Sansong (Chinese, active ca. 1573–1619)
  China
  Bamboo; H. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
  Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1995 (1995.271)
  
• 
  Figure of Bodhidharma, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 17th century
  China
  Porcelain (Dehua ware); H. 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm)
  Gift of Mrs. Winthrop W. Aldrich, Mrs. Arnold Whitridge, and Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse, 1963 (63.176)
  
• 
  Planting Chrysanthemums, Ming dynasty
  Lu Zhi (Chinese, 1496–1576)
  Hanging scroll; ink and pale color on paper; 42 x 10 3/4 in. (106.7 x 27.3 cm)
  Inscribed by the artist (right) and by the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–95; center), dated 1777
  Edward Elliott Family Collection, Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1986 (1986.266.3)
  
• 
  Portrait of an Old Lady
  Zude (Chinese, surname unknown; active 16th or early 17th century)
  China
  Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk; 61 3/4 x 37 7/8 in. (156.8 x 96.2 cm)
  Seymour Fund, 1959 (59.49.2)
  

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The early Ming dynasty was a period of cultural restoration and expansion. The reestablishment of an indigenous Chinese ruling house led to the imposition of court-dictated styles in the arts. Painters recruited by the Ming court were instructed to return to didactic and realistic representation, in emulation of the styles of the earlier Southern Song (1127–1279) Imperial Painting Academy. Large-scale landscapes, flower-and-bird compositions, and figural narratives were particularly favored as images that would glorify the new dynasty and convey its benevolence, virtue, and majesty.

Valuing the presence of personality in a work over mere technical skill, the Ming scholar-painter aimed for mastery of performance rather than laborious craftsmanship.

Related

Timelines (16)

• Central and North Asia, 1400–1600 a.d.
• China, 1000–1400 a.d.
• China, 1400–1600 a.d.
• China, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Himalayan Region, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Iberian Peninsula, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Iran, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Iran, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Iran, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Japan, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Japan, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Japan, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Korea, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Korea, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Korea, 1600–1800 a.d.
• Low Countries, 1600–1800 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (5)

• Chinese Cloisonné
• List of Rulers of China
• Scholar-Officials of China
• Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)
• Yuan Dynasty (1271

Other Thematic Essays (34)

• Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868 A.D.)
• Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400
• Chinese Calligraphy
• Chinese Gardens and Collectors' Rocks
• Chinese Handscrolls
• Chinese Painting
• Daoism and Daoist Art
• East and West: Chinese Export Porcelain
• Europe and the Age of Exploration
• Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.)
• In Pursuit of White: Porcelain in the Joseon Dynasty, 1392
• Joseon Buncheong Ware: Between Celadon and Porcelain
• Lacquerware of East Asia
• Landscape Painting in Chinese Art
• Longevity in Chinese Art
• Momoyama Period (1573–1615)
• Mountain and Water: Korean Landscape Painting, 1400-1800
• Muromachi Period (1392–1573)
• Music and Art of China
• Nature in Chinese Culture
• Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127)
• Painting Formats in East Asian Art
• Qin Dynasty (221–206 B.C.)
• The Arts of Iran, 1600–1800
• The Pipa
• The Qin
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Loyalists And Individualists
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Painting
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): The Courtiers, Officials, and Professional Artists
• The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): The Traditionalists
• The Rag-dung (Cloisonne Trumpets)
• Traditional Chinese Painting in the Twentieth Century
• Wang Hui (1632–1717)
• Yangban: The Cultural Life of the Joseon Literati

Maps (2)

• East Asia, 1000-1400 A.D.
• World, 1000-1400 A.D.

Index Terms (39)

Art Movement/Style

• Ming Dynasty of China
• Southern Song Dynasty of China
• Yuan Dynasty of China

Artist

• Chen Yanqing (Chinese, active 15th century)
• Dong Qichang (Chinese, 1555–1636)
• Fang Congyi (Chinese, ca. 1301–after 1378)
• Lin Liang (Chinese, ca. 1416–ca. 1480)
• Lu Zhi (Chinese, 1496–1576)
• Qiao Bin (Chinese, active 1481–1507)
• Wen Zhengming (Chinese, 1470–1559)
• Wu Bin (Chinese, active ca. 1583–1626)
• Wu Boli (Chinese, active, late 14th–early 15th century)
• Xia Chang (Chinese, 1388–1470)
• Xie Huan (Chinese, ca. 1370–ca. 1450)
• Zhu Sansong (Chinese, ca. 1573–1619)
• Zude (Chinese, surname unknown, active 16th or early 17th century)

Geography/Place

• China
• Iran

Material and Technique

• Calligraphy from East Asia
• Ceramic from China
• Porcelain from Asia
• Cloisonné
• Gilt Brass
• Painting in Ink on Paper from China
• Painting in Ink on Silk from China

Object

• Arms and Armor
• Hilt

Subject Matter/Theme

• Jewelry with Floral Motif
• Painting with Floral Motif
• Immortality
• Interior
• Liturgical Books
• Scholar
• Ivory with Seasonal Imagery
• Scroll with Seasonal Imagery
• Textile with Seasonal Imagery
• Spring
• Trade (1400–1600 a.d.)
• Warfare

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In Ming painting, the traditions of both the Southern Song painting academy and the Yuan (1279–1368) scholar-artist were developed further. While the Zhe (Zhejiang Province) school of painters carried on the descriptive, ink-wash style of the Southern Song with great technical virtuosity, the Wu (Suzhou) school explored the expressive calligraphic styles of Yuan scholar-painters emphasizing restraint and self-cultivation. In Ming scholar-painting, as in calligraphy, each form is built up of a recognized set of brushstrokes, yet the execution of these forms is, each time, a unique personal performance. Valuing the presence of personality in a work over mere technical skill, the Ming scholar-painter aimed for mastery of performance rather than laborious craftsmanship.



Early Ming decorative arts inherited the richly eclectic legacy of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, which included both regional Chinese traditions and foreign influences. For example, the fourteenth-century development of blue-and-white ware and cloisonné; enamelware arose, at least in part, in response to lively trade with the Islamic world, and many Ming examples continued to reflect strong West Asian influences. A special court-based Bureau of Design ensured that a uniform standard of decoration was established for imperial production in ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and lacquer.

Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Asian Art. "Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ming/hd_ming.htm (October 2002) Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Watt, James C. Y. “The Giraffe as the Mythical Qilin in Chinese Art: A Painting and a Rank Badge in the Metropolitan Museum.” Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43 (2008). JSTOR | PDF Murck, Alfreda, and Wen Fong "A Chinese Garden Court: The Astor Court at The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 38, no. 3 (Winter, 1980–81). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF Valenstein, Suzanne G. "Highlights of Chinese Ceramics." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 33, no. 3 (Autumn, 1975). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF Mailey, Jean "A Feng Huang in a Rock Garden: A Ming K'O-SSU panel." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 20, no. 1 (Summer, 1961). JSTOR | PDF Chow, Fong "Chinese Porcelain in the Altman Collection." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 20, no. 1 (Summer, 1961). JSTOR | PDF Priest, Alan "Two Dated Wood Sculptures of the Ming Dynasty." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 1, no. 1 (Summer, 1942). JSTOR | PDF