Banana Plants

A monochrome ink painting of banana plants. Broad leaves rise from the left and upper right, their veins brushed in dark strokes, while a smaller leaf unfurls near the center above loose grass strokes. The pale paper ground around the leaves is left largely empty, giving the composition an airy, quiet balance.

Look closer: Red seal stamps and a column of black artist's inscription beside the left leaves, plus a second seal at the lower left.

Artist

Min Zhen

Date

1788

Medium

album leaf, ink on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

2187 × 3400 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund