Quatrain on Snow-covered West Lake

Quatrain on Snow-covered West Lake

Emperor Lizong

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This fan is not dated, but the style of the writing is very close to that of Lizong's inscription accompanying Landscape at Sunset (Nezu Museum, Tokyo), a painting by the court artist Ma Lin (active ca. 1180–after 1256) that is dated 1254. The poem probably describes the scenery around West Lake in Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty: On the lake, a bright frozen mist lingers; On the lake, brilliant sights beckon. From the pavilion, I gaze at the mountain peaks; The color of snow and a hazy vapor shine in my winecup. (Wen C. Fong, trans., in Beyond Representation: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 8th-14th Century [New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992], p. 239)

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.