First half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi River

First half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi River

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This handscroll was split into two pieces; this is the first half. Once attributed to the Southern Song court painter Xia Gui, these paintings in fact reflect a later interpretation of the artist’s style. Xia’s subtle brushwork has been magnified in both size and intensity to create a bold, high-contrast work of art. Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi River exemplifies a type of fifteenth-century painting in which earlier styles—especially those of the Southern Song—were intensified to cater to the aesthetic of court and urban patrons.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

First half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi RiverFirst half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi RiverFirst half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi RiverFirst half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi RiverFirst half of Ten Thousand Li of the Yangzi River

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.