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Dreams in a Time of Turmoil: Late-Ming and Early-Qing Calligraphy and Painting

  • Image of "Calligraphy and PaintingsBy Ni Yuanlu (1593–1644), China, Ming dynasty, 1638 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)　On exhibit through February 8, 2026"

    Calligraphy and Paintings
    By Ni Yuanlu (1593–1644), China, Ming dynasty, 1638 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)　On exhibit through February 8, 2026

    Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
    January 1, 2026 (Thu) - March 22, 2026 (Sun)

    During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties (around the turn of the 17th century), when the Han Chinese dynasty transitioned to the Manchu-ruled Qing, literati artists grappled with their respective inner struggles amid unstable social conditions. They sublimated these emotions into paintings and calligraphy filled with intense individuality.

    This thematic exhibition introduces calligraphy and painting from this particular time period in China, focusing on materials, formats, artistic styles, and the artists' standing. It presents the diverse imagery these literati, living in turbulent times, sought to express in their works as if seeing dreams — visions of desire, fantasy, confusion, and transience.

    List of Exhibits

Major works in this exhibition

* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated. 

Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden in Running and Cursive Scripts
By Zhang Ruitu (1570–1641), China, Ming dynasty, 17th century, (On exhibit through February 8, 2026)

Miscellaneous Flowers and Plants
By Xu Wei (1521–1593), China, Ming dynasty, 1575 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō, On exhibit through February 8, 2026)

Poems and Prose in Running and Cursive Scripts
By Dong Qichang (1555–1636), China, Ming dynasty, 1603 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō, On exhibit from February 10, 2026)

Poem in Cursive Script
By Bada Shanren (1626–1705), China, Qing dynasty, 17th–18th century ( On exhibit through February 8, 2026)

Poem in Running Script
By Wang Duo (1592–1652), China, Ming–Qing dynasty, 17th century (Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u, On exhibit from February 10, 2026)

Calligraphy and Paintings
By Ni Yuanlu (1593–1644), China, Ming dynasty, 1638 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro, On exhibit through February 8, 2026)

Imaginary Journey through Rivers and Mountains
By Cheng Zhengkui (1604–1676), China, Qing dynasty, 1662 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō, On exhibit through February 8, 2026)

The Thousand-Character Classic in Cursive Script
By Zhu Zhiyu (1600–1682), Japan, Edo period, 1663 (Gift of Mr. Ikeda Daishirō, On exhibit through February 8, 2026)

Landscape
By Yang Wencong (1597–1645), China, Ming dynasty, 1628 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujirō, On exhibit from February 10, 2026)

Exhibitions