This album is a ink, the Chinese picture made to be unrolled or unpinned a section at a time rather than seen all at once. the Yuan painter’s hand that made it assumed a viewer in motion.
A handscroll rewards the journey; The subject is the excuse. What the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368 CE) painter sold was a way of looking, disciplined and unhurried.
Yuan workshops bridged Mongol court patronage and Chinese craft lineages, often bolder in colour than the dynasties on either side.
A album like this was made to be handed on, not framed forever. The ink still asks you to slow down, which is the whole point.
Object details
| Name | Ink album (四朝选藻元册) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 故00006150-3/10 |
| Technique | Ink |
| Period | Yuan dynasty (1271-1368 CE) |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | Palace Museum Digital Collection (数字文物库) |
Image © The Palace Museum. View the original in the Palace Museum Digital Collection.