Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”

Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”

Da Chongguang

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Da Chongguang was among a group of late-seventeenth-century calligraphers who excelled at the performative art of large-scale calligraphy in the hanging scroll format. Such calligraphy was often written in group settings that encouraged panache in both performance and calligraphic form. Here, Da Chongguang transcribes three ancient poems in thick, dark ink on a large piece of satin, using strategic imbalances and variant forms of characters to add individual flair to his performance.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”Transcription of Three of Cao Tang’s “Smaller Wandering Immortal Poems”

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.