Hou Maogong was a student of both Wen Zhengming (1470–1559) and Qian Gu (1508–1574). Inscriptions on his surviving works, ranging in date from 1544 to 1577, show that he was also on intimate terms with Wen's sons, Wen Peng (1498–1573) and Wen Jia (1501–1583), as well as with other members of the Suzhou artistic circle. High Mountains has the narrow format, pastel coloration, and attenuated figures, trees, and rocks that are typical of late-Wen-school landscape paintings. Hou's works are considered rare.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
明 侯懋功 高山圖 軸
Title:Lofty mountains
Artist:Hou Maogong (Chinese, active ca. 1540–1580)
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:dated 1569
Culture:China
Medium:Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions:Image: 46 5/8 x 11 in. (118.4 x 27.9 cm) Overall with mounting: 78 3/4 x 17 in. (200 x 43.2 cm) Overall with knobs: 78 3/4 x 20 1/2 in. (200 x 52.1 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
Object Number:1989.363.82
Inscription: Artist's inscription and signature (2 columns in standard script)
Painted on the sixteenth day of eighth month of the jisi year in the Longqing reign era (1569). [Signed] Hou Maogong
隆慶己巳仲秋既望寫。侯懋功
Artist’s seals
Yimen 夷門 Hou Maogong yin 侯懋功印
Collectors' seals
Gu Luofu 顧洛阜 (John M. Crawford, Jr., 1913–1988) Gu Luofu 顧洛阜 Hanguang Ge 漢光閣 Hanguang Ge Zhu Gu Luofu jiancang Zhongguo gudai shuhua zhi zhang (twice) 漢光閣主顧洛阜鑒藏中國古代書畫之章
John M. Crawford Jr. American, New York (until d. 1988; bequeathed to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Text and Image: The Interaction of Painting, Poetry, and Calligraphy," January 23–August 16, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The World of Scholars' Rocks: Gardens, Studios, and Paintings," February 1–August 20, 2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Millennium of Chinese Painting: Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection," September 8, 2001–January 13, 2002.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Brush: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy," March 12–August 14, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of the Ming Dynasty: China's Age of Brilliance," January 23–September 13, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Gardens: Pavilions, Studios, Retreats," August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Streams and Mountains without End: Landscape Traditions of China," August 26, 2017–January 6, 2019.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Learning to Paint in Premodern China," February 18, 2023–January 7, 2024.
Weng, Wan-go, and Thomas Lawton. Chinese Painting and Calligraphy: A Pictorial Survey: 69 Fine Examples from the John Crawford, Jr. Collection. New York: Dover Publications, 1978, pp. 92–93, cat. no. 42.
Shih Shou-ch'ien, Maxwell K. Hearn, and Alfreda Murck. The John M. Crawford, Jr., Collection of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Checklist. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1984, p. 33, cat. no. 90.
Shikibu Terutada (Japanese, active mid–16th century)
mid-16th century
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
