Tang YinChinese, 1470–1523Tea Drinking Under the Wutong Tree
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Tea Drinking Under the Wutong Tree” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked October 12, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Generations of Chinese intellectuals and Buddhist monks honed the practice of tea tasting into a high art form. The "bamboo stove" —a carrying case that contained a ceramic kettle used for heating water—was central to the process of tea preparation. This ingenious device, fanned by a servant in the center of this painting, was the subject of a poem by Wu Kuan (1435-1504), a close friend of Tang Yin. In this composition, Wu appears on a low platform with a teapot and a scroll by his side. He shared the tea ceremony with a Buddhist monk, while another servant draws fresh water from a nearby stream.
Read on
Five years after Wu Kuan's death, Tang Yin executed this delicate vignette in the writer's memory. The first colophon was written by Zhu Yunming (1461-1527), a famous poet and calligrapher who exchanged tea-related verses with Mr. Wu. Such commemorative paintings provide poignant records of Chinese intellectual and cultured society.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1941.13
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
