明/清 佚名 舊傳 元張可觀 月映松臺圖 冊頁|Moonlit terrace

Zhang Keguan|Unidentified

17th century · Album leaf; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

Chinese landscape paintings often depict night scenes, but the signals of darkness can be subtle. In this painting, a gentleman looks out from a low terrace onto a small stream that runs through his garden. Follow his gaze to three red candles at the left of the composition. These, along with the barely visible circle in the sky at upper right, reveal that our protagonist has come to revel in the cool evening breeze and the glimmer of moonlight on the water.

Artist

Zhang Keguan|Unidentified

Date

17th century

Medium

Album leaf; ink and color on silk

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1913