The animated figures in this wooded mountain scene, carved on a stone boulder, represent the celebrated gathering of Bai Juyi, a renowned poet of the Tang dynasty (618–907), and his friends on the Hill of Fragrance (Xiangshan) in the eastern capital city Luoyang. Freed from their official duties, the nine retirees enjoyed nature, poetry, and other scholarly activities—a dream lifestyle for the learned elite class.
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清中期 壽山石香山九老圖山子
Title:Nine Elders of Mount Xiang
Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date:18th century
Culture:China
Medium:Soapstone
Dimensions:H. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm); W. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Classification:Soapstone
Credit Line:Bequest of Jacob Ruppert, 1939
Object Number:39.65.33
Jacob Ruppert , New York (until d. 1939; bequeathed to MMA)
New York. China House Gallery. "Kernels of Energy, Bones of Earth," October 23, 1985–January 29, 1986.
Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Sacred Mountains in Chinese Art," November 9–December 16, 1990.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sacred Mountains in Chinese Art," January 25–March 31, 1991.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The "Hundred Antiques"," February 18–October 31, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Extravagant Display: Chinese Art in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries," December 14, 2010–May 1, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Passion for Jade: The Heber Bishop Collection," March 14, 2015–June 19, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Passion for Jade: Heber Bishop and His Collection," October 21, 2017–July 22, 2018.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Passion for Jade: The Heber Bishop Collection," July 2, 2022–February 17, 2025.
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