Lady reading a scroll

1947
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
One aspect of the Dunhuang murals that fascinated Zhang was the application of color, which differed from the traditions in which he had trained. The ancient murals, which featured bright, bold colors, required many layers of pigment to achieve the desired opacity. In his copies of the murals, and in Dunhuang-inspired paintings such as this one, Zhang displayed the knowledge he gained in the desert by applying colors laboriously and in layers, following the ancients.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 現代 張大千 仕女閲卷圖 軸
  • Title: Lady reading a scroll
  • Artist: Chang Dai-chien (Chinese, 1899–1983)
  • Period: Republic period (1912–49)
  • Date: 1947
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 49 in. × 25 11/16 in. (124.5 × 65.2 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 95 5/8 × 35 in. (242.9 × 88.9 cm)
    Overall with knobs: 95 5/8 × 38 1/4 in. (242.9 × 97.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Promised Gift of Jack and Susy Wadsworth
  • Object Number: L.2022.15.12
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art