Scholars in the Orchid Pavilion Gathering
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.In an unconventional move, Wu Wei employed the album format to create a close-up portrayal of individual participants in the famous Orchid Pavilion Gathering. Each painting features a single scholar sitting by a stream, on which float lotus leaves carrying wine cups. The swaying plants and the lively contour lines of the drapery capture the gentle stirring in the air. The men’s varied postures and activities reveal their temperaments and moods. Two appear absorbed, one contemplating the flowing water and the other an unfurled scroll. Another scholar is caught at a moment of distraction: ready to write with a brush lifted high in his right hand, he seems to have turned suddenly to gaze to his left. Most provocatively, a smiling man leans back on his arms, exposing his bared chest and protruding belly in total disregard of social decorum, a pose that epitomizes the free spirit of the event.
Artwork Details
- 明 吳偉 蘭亭人物 八開冊
- Title: Scholars in the Orchid Pavilion Gathering
- Artist: Wu Wei (Chinese, 1459–1508)
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: late 15th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album of eight paintings; ink and light color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 13 1/4 × 26 1/2 in. (33.7 × 67.3 cm)
Framed: 30 7/8 × 29 7/8 in. (78.4 × 75.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by a private collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art