Letters to Fang Shiguan

Bada Shanren (Zhu Da)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The tradition of collecting personal letters dates back nearly two millennia in China. It was believed that the intimate space of the letter encouraged a sense of freedom and openness in calligraphers, and the resulting calligraphy was often treasured as a true expression of the artist’s spirit. This album is a collection of letters written by the great painter and calligrapher Zhu Da to his close friend Fang Shiguan (1650–ca. 1711). Fang must have saved them as treasured traces of a friend and gifted artist. At some point, they were mounted together as an album. The letters concern four areas of Zhu’s life: his health; meetings with Fang; exchanges of favors and small gifts; and painting, including both the viewing of other artists’ works and the selling of his own.

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