蘭亭曲水図 (Rantei kyokusui zu)|Lanting Pavilion by a Winding Stream

Hara Zaichū 原在中

1829 · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

This scroll presents an imaginary scene of the famous Orchid Pavilion Gathering convened by Wang Xizhi (ca. 303–ca. 361), regarded as the greatest calligrapher of ancient China. Wang invited forty-one acquaintances to an outing on the banks of a winding stream, where they composed poetry and drank wine from cups sent downstream. He drafted a preface to the compositions, immortalizing the occasion for generations of literati artists, both in China and Japan. In Hara Zaichū’s interpretation, many of the scholars are garbed in iridescent blue robes along the verdant banks that surround the broad, winding stream—a palette derived from ancient Chinese blue-green (qinglu) painting. Wang is shown seated within the pavilion, a scroll spread before him, a brush in hand.

Artist

Hara Zaichū 原在中

Date

1829

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2020