Sea and Sky at Sunrise

Sea and Sky at Sunrise

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This fanciful painting bears a suite of false inscriptions and seals, including a fake signature of the twelfth-century court painter Zhao Boju. Zhao was famous for his blue-green landscapes, and many paintings bearing his name were produced in later centuries, some intended to fool collectors and others as charming reproductions. This painting, likely made in the seventeenth century, belongs to the latter category. The intense palette of azurite blue and malachite green, and the scalloped clouds that cling to the mountains, signals a magical, mysterious place that is difficult to access and inhabited by supernatural beings.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sea and Sky at SunriseSea and Sky at SunriseSea and Sky at SunriseSea and Sky at SunriseSea and Sky at Sunrise

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.