Artwork

清佚名中國地圖屏風|Map of China

清佚名中國地圖屏風|Map of China is an ink painting. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work consists of eight silk hanging scrolls that together form a detailed cartographic representation of China.

About this work

Overview

The work consists of eight silk hanging scrolls that together form a detailed cartographic representation of China. Executed with ink and colored pigments, the panels present a continuous map that emphasizes the nation’s topography, river systems, and administrative divisions. The piece is attributed to an anonymous creator, whose identity and background remain unknown.

Subject & Meaning

The scrolls function as a visual guide to China’s geography, illustrating mountains, plains, and waterways with precise delineation. By rendering the country’s spatial organization, the artwork serves both an informative purpose and a symbolic affirmation of territorial knowledge, reflecting an interest in the mapping of distant lands.

Technique & Style

Painted on silk, the composition employs fine ink lines complemented by subtle washes of color to differentiate regions and natural features. The brushwork balances meticulous detail with a fluid, calligraphic quality, characteristic of traditional East Asian scroll painting while adapting to the medium of cartographic illustration.

History & Provenance

The scrolls are the product of an unidentified artist, presumed to be of Mexican origin, though the circumstances of their creation are undocumented. No records clarify how the creator accessed accurate Chinese geographic information, leaving the work’s provenance and transmission history largely speculative.

Context

During periods of increased global exchange, maps of foreign territories were sometimes produced by artists outside the regions depicted, often relying on imported texts or travelers’ reports. This piece exemplifies such cross‑cultural curiosity, illustrating how knowledge of China circulated beyond its borders and was visualized by artists unfamiliar with the land.