Orchidssecond quarter of the 13th century
Ma Lin painted this in the second quarter of the 13th century, aged about 46. It is now at The Met in New York. More about this work
About this work
Ma Lin painted this in the second quarter of the 13th century, aged about 46. It is now at The Met in New York.
How it was made
- Album leaf
- A page from an album, meant to be held and looked at closely, one opening at a time.
- Ink and colour on silk
- Silk was sized with glue and alum so it would hold a crisp brushline, and mineral colours were built up in thin layers. The sheen of the weave still shows through.
Chinese painting
Ink and colour on silk and paper, from imperial courts to scholars' retreats.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1973.120.10
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Paintings
- Department
- Asian Art
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
