Bamboo and poem

Bamboo and poem

Zhu Lu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Zhu Lu was an impoverished scholar from Suzhou who devoted himself to bamboo painting and poetry. This folding fan combines the two into an elegant composition: a wispy tendril of young bamboo reaches in from the right side, pointing toward the artist’s poem, which reads, in part: New branches, half newly grown green sheaves; Jade feeling, how richly shaped and carved! I linger, come to hidden blue-green colors; Here all suits my heart, nothing is at odds. —Translation by Jonathan Chaves

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.