Zhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowers

Zhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowers

Shu Hao

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Xu Hao regularly painted subjects from popular literature, using a figure style based on Chen Hongshou. In this round fan, he brings down to earth the Song Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhou Dunyi (1017–73), author of the famous essay Admiring Lotus (1063). In this painting, Zhou Dunyi holds a fan like the one the shape of the pictures imitates. There is no mark along the centerline of the painting to indicate that the picture ever served as an actual fan, but the consonance of round forms in lotus leaves, fan and format is pleasing.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Zhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowersZhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowersZhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowersZhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowersZhou Dunyi admiring lotus flowers

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.