Portrait of Shaoyu in the guise of Liu Ling

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This is an example of a type of portrait that became popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in which the sitter plays the role of a famous historical or legendary figure. Here, the subject, identified only by his sobriquet, Shaoyu, appears in the guise of the drunken scholar Liu Ling (221–300), who turned to wine to escape the tumultuous political environment of his day. Liu is remembered as one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, contemporaries who renounced worldly affairs for the simple pleasures of drink, music, and poetry. Following standard depictions of Liu, Shaoyu rides in a deer-drawn carriage and is accompanied by attendants, one of whom carries a spade to bury the master on the spot should he die from dissipation.

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