Untitled

Unidentified artist

16th century · Handscroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

A series of twenty-five bust portraits spreads across this handscroll like a procession. Close examination of the paper reveals that each portrait was originally labeled, but these labels were removed prior to the painting’s entry into The Met collection, so it is difficult to identify the figures. They appear to be famous scholars from throughout Chinese history; the man with the distinctive dark beard and tall black hat near the end bears a striking resemblance to other portraits of the scholar and statesman Wang Yangming (1472–1529). Further research may reveal the identities of other figures.

Artist

Unidentified artist

Date

16th century

Medium

Handscroll; ink and color on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Seymour Fund, 1955