Zhong Kui

Ren Yi (Ren Bonian)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ren Yi, a leader of the late Qing Shanghai school of painting, was a disciple of the painter Ren Xiong (1820–1857). A prolific artist, Ren Yi commanded a wide range of techniques. In this depiction of Zhong Kui, the legendary Demon Queller, for example, he adopted the figural style of Chen Hongshou (1598–1652). During the late Qing dynasty, Zhong Kui became a popular symbol of Chinese opposition to the misrule of the Manchus and was often portrayed glowering ferociously over a motley retinue of cowering ghosts and demons. In Ren Yi's depiction, however, Zhong Kui appears as an elegant, if somewhat eccentric, scholar. His sword sheathed and a blossom stuck in his hair, he sits reading decorously beside a table laid out with archaic bronzes filled with flowers and fruits, an image that suggests it was the Chinese scholars' command of their cultural heritage rather than their military prowess that set them apart from their Manchu overlords.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art