Artwork
宋 傳 趙克敻 藻魚圖 冊頁|Fish at play
宋 傳 趙克敻 藻魚圖 冊頁|Fish at play is an ink painting by the Song dynasty painting artist Zhao Kexiong. It dates from 1203 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 13.100.110
- Credit line
- John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1913
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Fish at Play (Chinese: 藻魚圖) is an album leaf painted in ink and color on silk by Zhao Kexiong in 1203. Measuring 22.5 cm in height and 25.1 cm in width, it is classified as a painting and held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a representative example of Song-era Chinese art. The composition depicts a single fish swimming among stylized aquatic plants, emphasizing the subject of fish.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1203, the composition depicts fish rendered with fine ink outlines and light washes that suggest form and movement, with color applied sparingly.
The work is an album leaf painted in ink and color on silk, measuring 22.5 cm in height and 25.1 cm in width. Executed in 1203, the composition depicts fish rendered with fine ink outlines and light washes that suggest form and movement, with color applied sparingly. The handling favors clarity and restraint, aligning with the refined academic manner associated with the Song court tradition, where naturalistic observation is balanced by controlled elegance.
History & Provenance
The album leaf Fish at Play is dated by inscription to 1203 and attributed to Zhao Kexiong, a painter active in the Southern Song period. Executed in ink and color on silk, it measures 22.5 cm in height and 25.1 cm in width. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Its early provenance prior to the museum's acquisition is not specified in the available sources, which likewise contain no accession number or recorded exhibition history for this piece.
Legacy
The painting Fish at Play (藻魚圖) by Zhao Kexiong, created in 1203, is an ink and colored silk album leaf depicting fish among aquatic plants, representative of Song-dynasty naturalistic painting. Its inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection has contributed to scholarly attention, positioning the work as a reference point for studies of aquatic subjects in Chinese painting and reinforcing its reputation within the canon of Song art.
Overview
Created in 1203 during the Song dynasty, this album leaf is attributed to the painter Zhao Kexiong. Executed on silk with ink and color, the work measures only a few centimeters and was intended for intimate viewing as part of a larger collection of painted pages.
Context
Fish and aquatic scenes were popular motifs in Song court and literati circles, symbolizing abundance and the flow of life. Zhao Kexiong’s rendering aligns with this tradition, offering a refined, observational study rather than an allegorical narrative.
Artist & collection
