Artwork
明/清 佚名 倣沈周 山水 扇|Landscape

明/清 佚名 倣沈周 山水 扇|Landscape is an ink painting by the Ming dynasty painting artist Shen Zhou. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This anonymous ink painting, dating to 1705 during the Qing dynasty, depicts a serene landscape on gold paper.
About this work
Technique & Style
The physical support consists of a folding fan that has been mounted as an album leaf, a format often used for preserving such ephemeral surfaces.
Created in 1705, this landscape work is executed in ink on gold paper. The physical support consists of a folding fan that has been mounted as an album leaf, a format often used for preserving such ephemeral surfaces. The piece measures 17.5 cm in height and 52.7 cm in width.
Stylistically, the painting is attributed as an imitation of the renowned artist Shen Zhou, though the specific creator remains anonymous. The composition depicts a landscape scene featuring a boat, adhering to traditional Chinese genre conventions. The use of gold paper as a ground suggests a specific handling of light and texture, characteristic of certain Ming and Qing dynasty decorative approaches, while the ink application defines the forms within the scenic view.
History & Provenance
This landscape fan painting, executed in ink on gold paper, is dated to 1705 and was created in China by an anonymous artist. Although the work is titled as an imitation of the Ming dynasty master Shen Zhou, the creator remains unidentified. The piece was originally fashioned as a folding fan before being mounted as an album leaf.
Its ownership history traces to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is currently held under the accession number 13.100.73. The work measures 17.5 centimeters in height and 52.7 centimeters in width. No specific commission details or earlier ownership records are provided in the available documentation, though the inscription style and date place its creation firmly in the early eighteenth century.
The folding fan, mounted as an album leaf and dated to 1705, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work, attributed to an anonymous artist imitating Shen Zhou, carries the specific accession number 13.100.73 within the museum's records. While the object is classified as a landscape painting depicting a boat, the provided documentation does not list any specific past or future exhibition history for this piece.
The artwork, created on gold paper with ink, measures 17.5 cm in height and 52.7 cm in width.
Overview
This anonymous ink painting, dating to 1705 during the Qing dynasty, depicts a serene landscape on gold paper. Originally a folding fan, it has since been mounted as an album leaf. The artist consciously emulated the established style of Shen Zhou, a prominent painter from the 15th-century Ming dynasty, rendering a tranquil river scene with distant mountains and a small boat.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features rugged, jagged mountains rising above a placid river, where a small boat carries two figures. This depiction of a solitary vessel navigating a vast natural setting is characteristic of traditional Chinese landscape painting. The scene evokes a sense of calm and contemplation, suggesting a moment of respite or reflection within the natural world.
Artist & collection
Artist
Shen Zhou spent his life in the Suzhou region of China, where his family’s money and connections mattered more than art, until it did.















