Artwork

元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake

元  佚名  臨王振鵬  金明池圖  卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake, by Wang Zhenpeng, ink, 1334
元  佚名  臨王振鵬  金明池圖  卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake, by Wang Zhenpeng, ink, 1334

元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake is an ink painting by the Ming dynasty painting artist Wang Zhenpeng. It dates from 1334 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This handscroll, titled Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake, is an ink-on-silk painting from 1334.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The handscroll titled Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake, after Wang Zhenpeng and dated 1334, illustrates a lively scene on Jinming Lake featuring multiple boats. The composition focuses on the movement of vessels across the water, emphasizing the activity of dragon-boat racing associated with seasonal celebrations in China. By rendering the lake and its boats in ink on silk, the work situates the event within a tradition that celebrated natural settings and communal festivities, in keeping with the recorded subject of boat and lake.

Technique & Style

The support consists of silk, a traditional medium for high-status Chinese scroll painting that allows for fine brushwork and subtle tonal variations.

Executed in 1334, this work is a handscroll painted with ink on silk. The composition depicts a scene centered on a lake populated by boats, illustrating a dragon boat regatta. As a copy after Wang Zhenpeng, the piece uses the linear precision and detailed figuration characteristic of that style, rendered entirely in monochrome ink without the application of colour.

The support consists of silk, a traditional medium for high-status Chinese scroll painting that allows for fine brushwork and subtle tonal variations.

History & Provenance

The handscroll is dated to 1334 and is attributed to Wang Zhenpeng, though the title records it as an anonymous copy after his composition. The work was produced in China, takes the form of an ink-on-silk handscroll depicting a boat regatta on a lake, and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No details about an original commission, intermediate ownership, accession number, or exhibition history are documented in the available sources.

Legacy

The handscroll after Wang Zhenpeng, dated 1334, is recorded as an ink-on-silk work depicting a dragon-boat regatta on Jinming Lake, with boat and lake motifs consistent with its documented iconography. It is presently held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a placement that reflects its recognized significance within the tradition of Chinese painting.

Overview

This handscroll, titled Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake, is an ink-on-silk painting from 1334. It renders a lively scene of numerous small figures navigating dragon boats across a vast lake, bordered by palaces and willow trees. The work is a copy of a lost original by Wang Zhenpeng, a prominent Yuan dynasty court artist. It offers a rare visual record of imperial festivities and daily life during that period.

Context

The Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) saw a flourishing of artistic production, often patronized by the imperial court. This handscroll, through its detailed depiction of a dragon boat regatta, serves as one of the few surviving visual records illustrating court life and imperial leisure activities from this period. Its existence provides valuable insight into the cultural environment and artistic practices prevalent during the Yuan era in China.

明 佚名 陳容(僞款) 九龍行雨圖 卷|Nine Dragons
明 佚名 陳容(僞款) 九龍行雨圖 卷|Nine Dragons

Artist & collection

Portrait of Wang Zhenpeng

Artist

Wang Zhenpeng

Wang Zhenpeng (simplified Chinese: 王振鹏; traditional Chinese: 王振鵬; pinyin: Wáng Zhènpéng; Wade–Giles: Wang Chên-p'êng); was a Chinese landscape painter who worked in the imperial court during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368).

Frequently asked questions

Who painted 元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake?

元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake was painted by Wang Zhenpeng in 14th century (?).

Where can I see 元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake?

元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake?

元 佚名 臨王振鵬 金明池圖 卷|Dragon Boat Regatta on Jinming Lake is associated with Ming dynasty painting.