Currently not on view
The Nine Songs (Jiu ge 九歌),
1527
Wang Chong 王寵, 1494–1533
Chinese
Ming dynasty, 1368–1644
1998-58
The Nine Songs is a set of eleven poems from the anthology The Songs of Chu, which is traditionally attributed to Qu Yuan (about 343–278 B.C.). The poetry, which may represent ancient shamanistic dramas, consists of lyrics meant to be performed. By the time Wang Chong transcribed The Nine Songs in the sixteenth century, the words and content of the poems could still be read and spoken, but the accompanying sounds and actions had long been forgotten. Involving spirit journeys and the invocation of divine beings, one passage reads: The singing begins softly to a slow, solemn measure: Then, as pipes and zithers join in, the singing grows shriller. Now the priestesses come, splendid in their gorgeous apparel, And all the hall is filled with a penetrating fragrance. The five sounds mingle in a rich harmony; And the god is merry and takes his pleasure. (trans. David Hawkes)
Information
Title
The Nine Songs (Jiu ge 九歌)
Dates
1527
Maker
Medium
Handscroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Calligraphy: 28.9 × 479 cm (11 3/8 × 188 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of John B. Elliott, Class of 1951
Object Number
1998-58
Place Made
Asia, China
Signatures
signed "Wang Chong"
dated dinghai year (1527), 3rd moon
Inscription
Colophons:
Chen Chun (1483-1544), undated
Zhou Tian-qiu (1514-1595), dated 1540
Meng Zhouguang (fl. mid-16th century), dated 1550
Jin Yong (fl. mid-16th century), dated 1563
Kui Gong (fl. mid-19th century), one colophon dated 1853, two colophons dated 1857; two undated colophons
Marks/Labels/Seals
Artist, "Wang Lüji yin" 王履吉印, square intaglio, end of inscription, upper
Artist, "Weizhai" 韡齋, square relief, end of inscription, lower
On his seals, see Zhongguo shuhuajia yin jian kuan zhi 中國書畫家印鑑款識 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1987), pp. 118–20; and C.C. Riely, "Tung Ch'i-ch'ang's Seals on Works in "The Century of Tung Ch'i-ch'ang," in Ho, Wai-kam, The Century of Tung Ch'i-ch'ang 1555-1636, pp. 287-316.
Culture
Period
Materials
Subject
–1998 John B. Elliott (Princeton, NJ), by bequest to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1998.
