Poem on retirement

Song Ke

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A lover of martial arts as well as an accomplished poet, Song Ke briefly pursued a military career before returning to his native Suzhou, where he lived in retirement from about 1356 until the first Ming emperor (r. 1368–98) summoned him to serve as calligrapher-in-waiting at court. The foremost calligrapher of the early Ming, Song Ke based both his cursive and his regular scripts on those of Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322). This scroll probably dates to near the end of the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). It is executed in sharp, incisive thrusts and powerful curves that evoke Song's martial spirit, and its mixture of cursive and draft-cursive styles recalls the writing of two of Zhao Mengfu's early followers: Kangli Naonao (1295–1345) and Rao Jie (ca. 1300–1367).

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