Poetic Maxim

Zheng Fu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Zheng Fu, a Nanjing native, lived through the fall of the Ming dynasty and elected to practice medicine rather than to study for the civil-service examinations. He was best known for his large-scale clerical script writings, as exemplified by this hanging scroll. A pioneer in the revival of interest in Han dynasty (206 B.C..–A.D. 220) stele writings, Zheng traveled to Shandong and Hebei Provinces in search of original stones, inspiring the playwright Kong Shangren (1648–1718) to compose a poem about Zheng’s obsession. In addition to creating independent works of calligraphy, Zheng was also much sought after to execute large-character frontispieces for paintings. This piece quotes Jiao Gan’s (act. 86–34 B.C.) poetic explanation of one of the trigrams in the Book of Changes (Yi Jing). The text offers an inspiring sentiment suitable for a gentleman’s studio. He who acts like the single-minded cuckoo will not make mistakes. If a gentleman upholds this code of conduct, he will enjoy a happy and long life.

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