Palaces of the Immortals

Xu Yang

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Xu Yang was recruited as a court painter in 1751 and became one of the Qianlong Emperor’s leading artists, culminating with his being selected in 1764 to execute the Qianlong Southern Inspection Tour. This intimate fan painting shows Xu working in a miniaturist style and a decorative blue-and-green technique that differs markedly from his typically grand imperial commissions. According to the artist’s long inscription, Xu was commanded by the emperor to paint this work as a birthday gift to a Mr. Li. Fanciful images of Daoist paradises were suitably auspicious subjects for birthday gifts. Using the archaic blue-and-green landscape style, Xu demonstrates his mastery of this mode with dense mineral colors accented with gold highlights and detailed renderings of architectural forms.

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