Artwork
元末明初 佚名牧羊圖團扇頁 絹本設色|Sheep and herd boy

元末明初 佚名牧羊圖團扇頁 絹本設色|Sheep and herd boy is an ink painting. It dates from 1349 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This anonymous Chinese painting, titled "Sheep and Herd Boy," dates from the 14th century, spanning the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.
About this work
The painting shows a boy with sheep in a landscape. This work is interesting because it's from the 14th century. The details are delicate, with ink and color on silk.
The boy and sheep are calmly depicted, which is a notable aspect of this painting. You can learn more about this style by looking at the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on the interaction between the herder and the flock, a common motif in Chinese art that emphasizes rural life and harmony with nature.
The work depicts a pastoral scene featuring a young boy and sheep, set within a landscape context. Created in 1349, the painting presents these figures as the central subject matter without additional narrative elements specified in the available records. The composition focuses on the interaction between the herder and the flock, a common motif in Chinese art that emphasizes rural life and harmony with nature.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1349, this work is a fan painting mounted as an album leaf. The artist employed ink and color on a silk support to render a landscape scene featuring a boy and sheep. The composition is contained within a nearly square format, measuring 24.1 cm in height and 24.8 cm in width.
As a product of late Yuan or early Ming dynasty China, the piece utilizes traditional materials characteristic of the period's small-scale pictorial arts.
History & Provenance
The fan painting, executed in ink and color on silk, dates to 1349, a period corresponding to the late Yuan to early Ming transition in China. It was created by an anonymous artist, and no commission details or early ownership records are documented in the available sources.
The work subsequently entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. Beyond this institutional ownership, the provenance chain prior to the museum's acquisition is not recorded in the provided sources.
The painting, dated 1349, is classified as a landscape painting in the genre of album leaf format, executed in ink and color on silk. It depicts a boy with a herd of sheep. The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is listed in the museum’s collection.
No specific accession number is recorded in the available sources, and the museum’s catalog does not detail a separate exhibition history for this piece.
Overview
This anonymous Chinese painting, titled "Sheep and Herd Boy," dates from the 14th century, spanning the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Originally a circular fan, it has since been mounted as an album leaf. Executed with ink and color on silk, the artwork presents a serene pastoral scene featuring a young boy tending to his flock within a natural landscape. Its delicate rendering and tranquil subject matter characterize this historical piece.
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