Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Chen Zi’ang Testing a Zither
Huang Shen Chinese
Not on view
The poet Chen Zi'ang (659–700) traveled to the capital of the Tang dynasty to pursue his career but was frustrated by his inability to gain recognition for his talents. One day in the marketplace, he came upon someone selling an ancient zither for an incredibly high price. After testing it, Chen paid 1,000 ingots of silver to purchase it. Turning to the many curious onlookers, he remarked, "I am a good zither player. Come to my place tomorrow, and I will play for you." The next day, a large crowd gathered at Chen's residence to hear him perform. In front of this audience, Chen suddenly smashed the zither and said, "Entertaining people is the work of slaves. How can I do that?" He then took out his poems and passed them around. Everyone was astonished by Chen's behavior, and his brilliance immediately became widely known.
This handscroll is a masterful demonstration of Huang Shen's skill at rendering a broad range of figure types and social classes in a dashing, spontaneous manner. Huang's status as a professional painter must have made this story particularly appealing to him.
