Two scenes from the Plum in the Golden Vase (Jinpingmei)
These two leaves come from an album illustrating the Plum in the Golden Vase (Jinpingmei), one of premodern China’s most popular novels. The story, which follows the dissolute life of the wealthy playboy Ximen Qing, was considered by some to be too racy for polite society—some pages from the album include overtly erotic content. Though the leaves at The Met are relatively tame by comparison, the image of Pan Jinlian playing the pipa lute as she pines for her lover Ximen Qing would have been understood by readers of the novel to be suggestive.
Artwork Details
- 明/清 佚名 金瓶梅插畫 冊頁
- Title: Two scenes from the Plum in the Golden Vase (Jinpingmei)
- Artist: Attributed to Gu Jianlong (Chinese, 1606–after 1687)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: late 17th–early 18th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Two album leaves; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image (a): 15 5/8 × 12 3/8 in. (39.7 × 31.4 cm)
Framed: 23 1/2 × 19 3/4 in. (59.7 × 50.2 cm)
Image (b): 15 11/16 × 12 7/16 in. (39.8 × 31.6 cm)
Framed: 23 1/2 × 19 3/4 in. (59.7 × 50.2 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Funds from various donors, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.287a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Attributed to Leng Mei (Chinese, active 1677–1742)
1793
ca. 1700
Gong Xian (Chinese, 1619–1689)
1688
Li Jian (Chinese, 1747–1799)
1793
Huang Xiangjian (Chinese, 1609–1673)
mid-17th century
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