Skip to Content
Closed now, next open tomorrow. Closed now, next open tomorrow.

United by Music 合樂圖

A work made of handscroll; ink and colors on silk.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of handscroll; ink and colors on silk.

Date:

Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 15th/16th century

Artist:

Artist unknown (Chinese, 16th century)
Traditionally attributed to Zhou Wenju (10th century) 傳周文矩

About this artwork

This all-female ensemble is an imperial or aristocratic orchestra. Singly or in pairs, the musicians play the large drum, clapper, oboe, vertical flute, transverse flute, hourglass drum, mouth organ, gong-chime, long zither, angular harp, and lute. Such instruments accurately represent those played by the mid- Tang dynasty (eighth century), as known today from surviving artifacts and textural descriptions of the Imperial Conservatory of Music. The audience for this concert strikingly resembles court figures depicted in The Night Revels of Han Xizai, a painting in the Palace Museum, Beijing, attributed to the tenth century painter Gu Hongzhong. Gu Hongzhong was a contemporary of Zhou Wenju, to whom this handscroll was originally ascribed. The artist responsible for this fifteenth-century painting apparently drew upon a number of earlier artistic models, creating a composite image that recalled the work of past centuries.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Artist

Zhou Wenju

Title

United by Music 合樂圖

Place

China (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1401–1425

Medium

Handscroll; ink and colors on silk

Inscriptions

Inscription on Painting: 唐周文矩合樂圖無上神品也  Seal: 緝熙殿寶

Dimensions

41.9 × 184.2 cm (16 1/2 × 72 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment Fund

Reference Number

1950.1370

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/72380/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share