Minneapolis Institute of Art

Scholars Playing Go under Pine Trees

China

Date

late 14th century

Medium

Ink and color on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Five Tang dynasty (618–907) scholars enjoy a game of go ( weiqi ) in an outdoor setting. Along with the other ancient board games of Chinese chess ( xiangqi ) and double sixes ( liubo ), go symbolized intellectual refinement, an essential trait of any Confucian scholar. The scholar at far right sits on a very low wooden seat, possibly indicating his lower status. Go was one of the “four arts” ( siyi ) required of Chinese scholars, which also included mastery of the zither ( qin ), calligraphy ( shu ), and painting ( hua ). This painting was probably one of a set of four, each depicting one of the four arts. China, Asia

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