Artwork
清 佚名 倣惲壽平 倣米家山水圖 扇|Landscape
清 佚名 倣惲壽平 倣米家山水圖 扇|Landscape is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Yun Shouping. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in 1805 by an unidentified artist, this work is a folding fan mounted as an album leaf, executed in ink on paper.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject matter focuses entirely on natural topography, presenting a traditional Chinese mountainous vista on a folding fan mounted as an album leaf.
The work is a landscape painting that depicts mountain scenery, executed in the style of the renowned artist Yun Shouping. Created in 1805 by an anonymous painter in China, the piece serves as an homage, or 'imitation,' of Yun's approach to the genre. While the specific iconography is not detailed beyond the general representation of mountains, the title indicates the painting embodies the aesthetic principles associated with the 'Mi family' style of landscape painting.
The subject matter focuses entirely on natural topography, presenting a traditional Chinese mountainous vista on a folding fan mounted as an album leaf.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1805, this landscape work utilizes ink applied to paper as its primary medium. Although the piece functions as a folding fan, it has been mounted as an album leaf for preservation and display. The composition depicts a mountainous scene, reflecting the stylistic influence of Yun Shouping through an imitation of the Mi family landscape tradition.
The physical object measures 17.5 centimeters in height and 52.1 centimeters in width. Created in China, the work is classified within the genre of landscape painting and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The specific handling involves the adaptation of a fan format into a flat album presentation, a common practice for preserving such ephemeral supports.
History & Provenance
Although the artwork references Yun Shouping in some records, it is formally classified as the work of an anonymous Qing dynasty painter executed in imitation of his manner. The piece, a landscape depicting mountains rendered in ink on paper, was created in 1805. Originally executed as a folding fan, the work was subsequently mounted as an album leaf.
The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held and identified by the accession number 13.100.41. No specific details regarding earlier ownership chains, private commissions, or the precise circumstances of its creation beyond the date and anonymous authorship are provided in the available records.
Legacy
The fan painting, an anonymous Qing‑dynasty work of 1805 executed in imitation of Yun Shouping’s manner, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession 13.100.41), where its inclusion reflects its value for the study of Chinese landscape painting. The work exemplifies the long tradition of stylistic homage, in which later painters reworked the manners of earlier masters such as Yun Shouping and the Mi‑family landscape style. Mounted as an album leaf, it illustrates how ephemeral fan paintings in ink on paper were preserved and transmitted within connoisseurial collections.
Overview
Created in 1805 by an unidentified artist, this work is a folding fan mounted as an album leaf, executed in ink on paper. The composition depicts a landscape featuring soft gray mountains rising behind sparse ink strokes that suggest trees and mist, evoking a sense of atmospheric depth. The piece is explicitly titled as an imitation of two distinct historical styles: the Qing dynasty painter Yun Shouping and the Song dynasty master Mi Fu, known for his 'Mi dots' technique to render misty peaks.
This practice of emulating past masters was a conventional method in Chinese art to demonstrate scholarly respect and technical mastery rather than to deceive. The thinness of the paper allows the ink to bleed softly, enhancing the ethereal quality of the mountains and mist. While the artist remains anonymous, the work reflects the 19th-century continuation of literati traditions where referencing earlier styles served as a dialogue with art history.
The fan format, repurposed here as an album leaf, highlights the intimate scale typical of such personal objects, focusing the viewer's attention on the subtle interplay of ink tones and the evocative suggestion of form over detailed realism.
Artist & collection
Artist
Yun Shouping (Chinese: 惲壽平; 1633 – 1690), also known as Nantian (Chinese: 南田), was a Chinese calligrapher and painter.
