Marvelous Verses without Sounds
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.This ethereal album is an example of the “three perfections” (sanjue 三絕), the combination of painting, poetry, and calligraphy into a cohesive work of art. For scholarly artists like Xiao Yuncong, a successful expression of the three perfections was considered the greatest achievement, a creative act that revealed the depth of the artist’s learning and refinement. Xiao lived through the fall of the Ming dynasty, and his melancholy poems inscribed here express his desire for reclusion from a world that he saw as irrevocably damaged. The artist’s weighty poetry contrasts with his gossamer-light application of silvery ink and his surprising, sometimes humorous compositions, such as the man washing his feet in a stream.
Artwork Details
- 清 蕭雲從 妙句無聲圖 冊
- Title: Marvelous Verses without Sounds
- Artist: Xiao Yuncong (Chinese, 1596–1673)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: ca. 1660–73
- Culture: China
- Medium: Album of twelve leaves; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 7 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. (19.7 x 14 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Promised Gift of Julia and John Curtis, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary
- Object Number: L.2020.10.12a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art