China, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) / 1361
Nine Songs
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Nine Songs as painting (China, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) · 1361).
Divided into eleven sections, the scroll contains illustrations by painter Zhang Wu followed by a transcription of the relevant verse by calligrapher Chu Huan.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as handscroll; ink on paper and credits Zhang Wo (Chinese, active c.1336–after 1364).
The museum's collection notes: Painted in the baimiao , or fine-line drawing style, this ancient work demonstrates the literati’s use of abstract calligraphic brushwork for self-expression. The subject of the “Nine Songs”—songs associated with shamanistic rituals in the ancient Chu kingdom—had traditionally provided artists with myths and legends that they could explore and reinterpret in their own works.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtNine SongsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.