Su Shi Riding a Donkey

Bokudō Sojun

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sparse painting of a man and a donkey in a windswept landscape illustrates an episode in the life of the Song-dynasty poet Su Shi (1037–1101). The aged Su, in exile, had been visiting a friend. As it began to rain when he took his leave, Su borrowed a wide-brimmed hat and clogs from a local farmer. The sight of a scholar-official from the city plodding through the rain dressed in the humble garb of a farmer is said to have startled the local women and children. The artist, Bokudō Sōjun, was a Zen monk from Tenryūji Temple in Kyoto. His use of gold outlines on Su Shi’s hat, headcloth, and the bridle bit, touches of brightness in an otherwise austere composition, may have been influenced by professional painters of the era who used gold highlighting in Buddhist paintings.

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