Artwork
清 山水圖 軸|Landscape
清 山水圖 軸|Landscape is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Zhao Zuo. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of the landscape painting genre, the piece depicts natural scenery dominated by mountains, a primary subject in Chinese artistic tradition.
Created in 1637 by the artist Zhao Zuo, this hanging scroll on silk presents a traditional landscape composition centered on mountainous terrain. As a work of the landscape painting genre, the piece depicts natural scenery dominated by mountains, a primary subject in Chinese artistic tradition. While specific iconographic details are not recorded in the available sources, the depiction of mountains in seventeenth-century Chinese landscape typically evokes the grandeur of nature and the harmony between humanity and the natural world. The work adheres to the established conventions of the genre.
Technique & Style
The work 清 山水圖 軸, attributed to Zhao Zuo and dated 1637, is executed as a hanging scroll using ink on silk, a support typical of Chinese painting of the period. Its dimensions, recorded as 148 cm in height by 66.4 cm in width, were measured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains in the collection. The piece belongs to the landscape genre and depicts a mountain scene in ink.
Such formal qualities reflect the literati aesthetic of late Ming ink painting, while the material choice of silk underscores a refined handling and preservation practice.
History & Provenance
Created in 1637 by the artist Zhao Zuo, this hanging-scroll landscape was executed in ink on silk in China. The work measures 148.0 cm in height and 66.4 cm in width. While specific details regarding its original commission or intermediate ownership history are not provided in the available records, the painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The piece depicts a mountainous landscape consistent with Zhao Zuo's output.
The available records do not assign a specific inventory or accession number for the work, nor do they document any exhibition or loan history for this piece.
Context
Zhao Zuo, a late Ming painter associated with the Songjiang school, specialized in ink-on-silk landscape scrolls in the literati tradition, depicting rugged mountains and expansive scenery. The hanging scroll titled 清 山水圖 軸, dated 1637, exemplifies this approach through its rendering of peaks amid misty valleys. Held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the work measures 148 × 66.4 cm and is classified as a landscape painting.
Its inclusion in a major Western collection reflects the broader transmission of Chinese painting and situates the piece within the historical development of East Asian landscape art.
Overview
Zhao Zuo's Landscape (清 山水圖 軸), created in 1637, is an ink on silk hanging scroll. This vertical composition presents a serene mountain vista, characterized by its layered forms and atmospheric quality. The artist's approach to the natural world emphasizes a sense of quietude and the subtle interplay of light and shadow, typical of the period's artistic sensibilities.
Artist & collection
