Cleveland Museum of Art

Su Dongpo

Date

1788

Medium

album leaf, ink on paper

Culture

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Min Zhen, who was orphaned at age 12 and developed an eccentric personality, was trained by Tang Yin (1682–1756), a writer, playwright, and superintendent of the imperial porcelain workshops in Jingdezhen. The connection to him may have enabled Min to stay in Beijing for a decade from around 1773. It is not clear whether he ever resided in Yangzhou, but his style is in many instances reminiscent of that of Yangzhou artist Huang Shen. This album demonstrates Min’s versatility and mature style in the last years of his life. Su Dongpo 蘇東坡 (1037–1101) is the likely model, but the gentleman is holding an incense burner instead of an ink stone more commonly associated with the famed poet.

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