Farewell Poem
Wang Ao, a native of Suzhou, was one of the most famous literary figures of his day. He also enjoyed a successful career at the court, rising to the position of grand secretary and junior tutor to the emperor.
Wang created this scroll at the height of his court career as a farewell present for fellow official Wu Yan (1457–1519). Wu had been deputized by the emperor to serve as an honorary escort to his uncle Xu Pu (1428–1499), when Xu retired from the Grand Secretariat. Following the poem, Wang added a note describing this event and signed the piece with all his court titles, thus transforming a private gift into a powerful public testimonial of Wu's honorary role as the emperor's emissary.
As befits this kind of formal presentation piece, Wang wrote his text in dramatic large-scale characters that show off to maximum advantage his distinctive style of lean angular brushwork with its sharp firm movements. In recent years, the scroll was a treasured possession of the artist and collector C. C. Wang, who also comes from Suzhou and traces his family lineage to Wang Ao.
Wang created this scroll at the height of his court career as a farewell present for fellow official Wu Yan (1457–1519). Wu had been deputized by the emperor to serve as an honorary escort to his uncle Xu Pu (1428–1499), when Xu retired from the Grand Secretariat. Following the poem, Wang added a note describing this event and signed the piece with all his court titles, thus transforming a private gift into a powerful public testimonial of Wu's honorary role as the emperor's emissary.
As befits this kind of formal presentation piece, Wang wrote his text in dramatic large-scale characters that show off to maximum advantage his distinctive style of lean angular brushwork with its sharp firm movements. In recent years, the scroll was a treasured possession of the artist and collector C. C. Wang, who also comes from Suzhou and traces his family lineage to Wang Ao.
Artwork Details
- 明 王鏊 贈別詩 軸
- Title: Farewell Poem
- Artist: Wang Ao (Chinese, 1450–1524)
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: dated 1498
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 81 1/2 x 25 in. (207 x 63.5 cm)
Overall: 130 x 34 1/2 in. (330.2 x 87.6 cm)
Overall with rollers: 130 x 36 1/2 in. (330.2 x 92.7 cm) - Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: The C. C. Wang Family Collection, Gift of C. C. Wang, 1997
- Object Number: 1997.438.2
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Wang Ao
late 15th or early 16th century
Wang Ao
16th century
Tibet
late 15th century
Wu Bin
dated 1591
Shikibu Terutada
mid-16th century
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.