Song of Pipa

Home >> Arts >> Painting >> Masters >> Wen Zhengming >>   Song of Pipa

Song of Pipa (琵琶行)

Wen Zhengming (文徵明, 1470-1559), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

Handscroll, Painting, ink and colors on silk, 29.2 x 153.6 cm; Calligraphy, ink on paper, 29.2 x 196.2 cm, National Palace Museum, Taipei

       The calligraphy is the famous "Song of Pipa" by the Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi (白居易, 772-846). The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, sometimes called the Chinese flute. The song describes an encounter with a female pipa player on the Yangtze river, whose tragic life story resonated with the sorrow of Bai Juyi and his friends. The painting is also based on this.

Replicas available for purchase. Please email theRealCOM (at) yahoo.com for details.

Wen Zhengming: Song of Pipa