Poem on Boating on the Qinhuai River
清 梅清 行書秦淮舟泛詩 軸 紙本
As an artist, Mei Qing is best remembered for his paintings, and the dramatic variations of ink tonality in this rare, purely calligraphic work reveal a painterly sensibility. The poem, also composed by Mei, relates the delights of boating in the evening with a friend on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing and celebrates the city’s vibrant night life, as reflected in the last line: “The flute music is hard to resist when intoxicated.” The poem may have been composed in the 1680s, when Mei visited his friend, the famous monk-artist Shitao (1642–1707), in Nanjing.
As an artist, Mei Qing is best remembered for his paintings, and the dramatic variations of ink tonality in this rare, purely calligraphic work reveal a painterly sensibility. The poem, also composed by Mei, relates the delights of boating in the evening with a friend on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing and celebrates the city’s vibrant night life, as reflected in the last line: “The flute music is hard to resist when intoxicated.” The poem may have been composed in the 1680s, when Mei visited his friend, the famous monk-artist Shitao (1642–1707), in Nanjing.
Artwork Details
- 清 梅清 行書秦淮舟泛詩 軸 紙本
- Title: Poem on Boating on the Qinhuai River
- Calligrapher: Mei Qing (Chinese, 1623–1697)
- Date: undated
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 64 3/4 × 18 1/8 in. (164.5 × 46 cm)
Overall with mounting: 8 ft. 6 in. × 25 1/8 in. (259.1 × 63.8 cm)
Overall with knobs: 8 ft. 6 in. × 28 1/4 in. (259.1 × 71.8 cm) - Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Lent by Guanyuan Shanzhuang Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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