Laozi delivering a copy of the Daodejing

Ink and light color on aged silk shows a horizontal scroll with a column of calligraphy at left and pine branches at upper right. Several robed figures, one with a crane nearby, gather beneath the trees in a quiet landscape of thin lines.

Artist

Traditionally attributed to Li Gonglin (傳)李公麟 (ca. 1049-1106)

Date

16th-17th century

Medium

Ink on silk

Source

Smithsonian (National Museum of Asian Art)

Size

1800 × 810 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art