明 佚名 胡笳十八拍圖 卷|Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: The Story of Lady Wenji
The Met
Artist: Unidentified artist
Date: early 15th century
Department: Asian Art
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions: Image: 11 1/4 in. × 39 ft. 3 in. (28.6 × 1196.3 cm) Overall with mounting: 11 1/2 in. × 50 ft. 8 1/16 in. (29.2 × 1544.5 cm)
Credit Line: Ex coll.: C. C. Wang Family, Gift of The Dillon Fund, 1973
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A painting of a procession with many people on foot and horseback, surrounded by buildings
Detailed Description
This horizontal painting depicts a bustling scene within a complex of buildings, viewed from an elevated perspective. The composition is densely populated with numerous figures, both on foot and mounted on horses, moving through courtyards and pathways. Buildings with dark, tiled roofs and light-colored walls are arranged throughout the scene, interspersed with small trees featuring sparse green foliage. In the left half of the painting, groups of figures on horseback and foot are seen in motion. Many wear long robes in shades of blue, red, and brown. The horses are predominantly dark-colored, equipped with saddles. Some figures carry staffs or swords. Towards the center, a prominent gateway structure with a dark tiled roof and red pillars stands. Several tall flags, including red, yellow, and black ones, are displayed near this gateway. Around this central area, more figures are gathered, some appearing to interact. One figure in a yellow robe seems to be addressing a group. The right side of the painting continues with more buildings and figures. In the upper right corner, there is a vertical column of black characters, with two red square seals below them. The text reads, from right to left, top to bottom: "可憐白髮為臣留 可惜紅顏隨虜去". Figures are visible within courtyards and on pathways, some standing, others seated. The overall color palette is muted, featuring browns, grays, and light ochre for the ground and buildings, with accents of blue, red, yellow, and black for clothing and flags.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
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