Egrets in Water Reeds

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This painting recalls Ma Hezhi's handscroll Six Odes Starting with "Wild Geese," in which the image of nesting birds symbolizes the reestablishment of peace under the Southern Song. Here, a family of egrets on a marshy bank are joined by three more alighting from the sky. Bamboo and reeds in the foreground, executed in beautifully controlled, round brushwork, bend in the light breeze. The birds and the swaying bamboo define both the finite world within the picture and the vast space beyond.

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