Artwork
明/清 佚名 舊傳趙芾 乘蓮渡江 冊頁|Sage Floating on Lotus Leaf
明/清 佚名 舊傳趙芾 乘蓮渡江 冊頁|Sage Floating on Lotus Leaf is an ink painting by the Ming dynasty painting artist After Zhao Fei. It dates from 1639 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This ink on silk album leaf, titled Sage Floating on Lotus Leaf, presents a solitary figure navigating turbulent waters.
About this work
Technique & Style
9 cm and dated 1639, it was made in China and belongs to the landscape genre, depicting a solitary figure crossing a stylized wave on a lotus leaf.
The painting is an ink work on silk produced as an album leaf, a format typical of Ming‑Qing book arts. Measuring approximately 27.9 × 21.9 cm and dated 1639, it was made in China and belongs to the landscape genre, depicting a solitary figure crossing a stylized wave on a lotus leaf. The composition follows the brush‑stroke tradition associated with the follower of Zhao Fei, employing delicate washes and a balanced spatial arrangement that emphasizes the ethereal movement of water and foliage.
Its formal qualities reflect the restrained elegance of album leaf painting, where subtle tonal gradations and careful line work create a harmonious visual rhythm.
History & Provenance
The album leaf Sage Floating on Lotus Leaf is dated to 1639, as indicated by its inscription and the Met’s inception record. It is an anonymous work painted after the style of Zhao Fei, executed in ink on silk. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently housed; earlier owners or any commission are not documented in the available sources. The work forms part of an album of landscape leaves.
Context
The album leaf dated 1639, executed in ink on silk, exemplifies late Ming landscape practice and is attributed to an anonymous follower of Zhao Fei. Its depiction of a solitary figure crossing water on a lotus leaf aligns with the motif of transcendence found in contemporary Chinese painting. Scholarship notes that the work reflects the diffusion of Zhao’s brushwork into anonymous workshops active in the early Qing period, illustrating the transmission of stylistic conventions beyond named masters.
The piece’s presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art underscores its recognized significance within Western collections and highlights its role in scholarly discussions of cross‑cultural artistic exchange.
Legacy
The painting Sage Floating on Lotus Leaf, dated 1639 and attributed to an anonymous follower of Zhao Fei, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a representative example of Ming‑Qing album leaf painting. Its depiction of a sage on a lotus leaf amid wind‑wave motifs reflects traditional Buddhist symbolism and has been referenced in studies of anonymous Chinese landscape art. The work’s inclusion in a major museum collection has contributed to ongoing scholarly discussion of 17th‑century anonymous painters and their influence on later Chinese artistic practice.
Overview
This ink on silk album leaf, titled Sage Floating on Lotus Leaf, presents a solitary figure navigating turbulent waters. Created during China's Ming or Qing dynasty, the painting, though small in scale, conveys a sense of expansive movement and contemplation. Its anonymous artist, working in a style associated with Zhao Fei, captures a moment of serene detachment amidst a dynamic natural environment.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork depicts a robed figure calmly poised on an oversized lotus leaf, drifting across a body of water characterized by vigorous, swirling waves. The sage's tranquil expression contrasts with the agitated surface of the water, suggesting a state of inner peace or meditative focus. Such imagery resonated with scholars of the Ming and Qing periods, who often admired themes of reclusion and spiritual transcendence from worldly concerns.
Artist & collection
