The Strange Pines of Mount Tiantai

The Strange Pines of Mount Tiantai

Dai Benxiao

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A refuge since its discovery in the fourth century, Mount Tiantai is a legendary dwelling place of Buddhist holy men; its natural stone bridge is a fabled point of connection between this world and the paradise of the immortals. Dai Benxiao, whose Ming-loyalist father committed suicide after being injured in a battle against Qing forces, focuses here on the mountain's pines. Symbolic of survival in times of adversity, the pines, having been suddenly threatened, reflect the artist's uncertainty about his ability to find spiritual sanctuary in a world from which he feels alienated: The strangely shaped pine trees of Mount Tiantai have been depicted by artists of previous periods. . . . I have decided to portray this theme, drawing upon my own imagination. I have heard recently that most of these strange pines have met the sad fate of extinction. It seems that once the natural wonders of the sky, earth, mountains, and rivers are exposed to the intimate scrutiny of the dusty world, they do not last long. This is indeed cause for lamentation. Dawn Ho Delbanco, trans.,

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Strange Pines of Mount TiantaiThe Strange Pines of Mount TiantaiThe Strange Pines of Mount TiantaiThe Strange Pines of Mount TiantaiThe Strange Pines of Mount Tiantai

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.