Ode to the Pipa, or Song of the Lute, 1650
Wang Jianzhang; Calligrapher: Wen Chiaexpand_more
Ink and light colors on paperexpand_more
Gift of Ruth and Bruce Daytonexpand_more 2006.44.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
The artist Wang Jianzhang’s inscription tells us that he painted this work for his friend Gong Weiliu in 1650, after Gong acquired Wen Jia’s calligraphic rendering of the “Pipa Xing” (“Song of the Pipa Player”), a famous poem. Both Wen’s script and Wang’s painting were mounted together on the same scroll. This famous Tang poem, composed by the poet Bai Juyi (772–846), is one of the great poems of Chinese literature. In it, a man encounters a woman playing a stringed instrument called a pipa and expresses the sadness he feels when he hears her play her melancholy song. Here, Wang depicts the woman standing on a boat in the moonlit river, playing her instrument. Interestingly, she faces away from the viewer, hiding her expression; her sorrow, as well as her beauty, is obscured.
Details
- Title
- Ode to the Pipa, or Song of the Lute
- Artist Life
- active c. 1621 - 1650
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2006.44.1
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.