Artwork
明 盛茂曄 唐詩意山水圖 冊|Landscapes after Tang Poems
明 盛茂曄 唐詩意山水圖 冊|Landscapes after Tang Poems is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Sheng Maoye. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The album titled Landscapes after Tang Poems consists of six ink and colored silk paintings that illustrate landscape scenes inspired by Tang dynasty poetry.
The album titled Landscapes after Tang Poems consists of six ink and colored silk paintings that illustrate landscape scenes inspired by Tang dynasty poetry. Each painting depicts a solitary boat on a river beside a towering mountain, motifs that appear in the work’s iconography. Sheng Maoye created the series in 1650 in China, employing the landscape genre to translate poetic themes into visual form.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art now holds the album in its collection, preserving it as part of its Asian art holdings.
Technique & Style
The album consists of six leaves executed in ink and color on silk, reflecting a refined literati technique rooted in Ming courtly taste. Sheng Maoye’s handling combines soft, modulated ink washes with delicate mineral pigments to articulate mist-wreathed mountains and receding riverine vistas. Stylistically, the compositions deploy the "one-corner" compositional formula, concentrating detail in a corner while leaving expansive negative space to evoke atmospheric recession.
Brushwork alternates between fine, thread-like lines for rocky outcrops and broad, wet ink planes for cloud banks, achieving both textural variety and tonal unity. The silk support, typical of Ming scholarly painting, is mounted as an album, allowing sequential viewing that heightens the narrative flow of Tang poetic imagery.
History & Provenance
The album of six landscapes, titled Landscapes after Tang Poems, was created by the artist Sheng Maoye in 1650. Executed in ink and color on silk, the work originates from China and falls within the landscape genre, depicting motifs such as mountains and boats. The album is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While the specific commission details or the original ownership chain prior to its acquisition by the museum are not detailed in the available records, the work is firmly dated to the mid-seventeenth century, specifically the year 1650.
The album is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded as accession number 2015.71. Its exhibition history includes display at the museum’s galleries in New York, as part of the permanent collection rotation of Chinese painting from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Overview
Sheng Maoye's Landscapes after Tang Poems is an album from approximately 1650, comprising six individual paintings. Executed with ink and color on silk, these works present serene landscape vistas. Each small scroll within the album depicts natural elements such as mountains and boats, rendered with a delicate touch. The collection offers a contemplative visual interpretation rather than a direct narrative illustration.
Artist & collection
