Viewing plum blossoms by moonlight

A round fan painting in ink on silk shows a twisting, leafless plum branch reaching across the composition beneath a pale moon. At left, a small robed figure stands on a rocky slope beside a mountain, with washes of grey suggesting mist and distance.

Look closer: A small seated or bending figure with a tall hat is tucked among the rocks near the lower center.

Artist

Ma Yuan

Date

early 13th century

Medium

Fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on silk

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1796 × 1678 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of John M. Crawford Jr., in honor of Alfreda Murck, 1986