Bamboo under the Moon
- Gallery: Room 33
- Maker: Zhu Duan
- Culture: Ming dynasty
- Made in: China
- Date: 16thC
- Object type: hanging scroll, painting
- Materials: silk
- Museum number: 1958,0412,0.5
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is "Bamboo under the Moon," a remarkable hanging scroll painting from the Ming dynasty in 16th-century China. This artwork features bamboo bathed in soft moonlight, rendered in delicate ink and color on silk—a luxurious and challenging material that gives the piece a luminous quality.
The composition highlights the elegant structure of bamboo against a dark, misty backdrop, capturing the quiet beauty of a moonlit night. Though the painting lacks a signature inscription, it bears a raised seal in the top left corner, reading “Qin Ci Yiqiao Tushu” in red ink.
Created by the artist Zhu Duan, the piece reflects traditional Chinese artistic values, where nature is not only depicted but also deeply felt through brushwork and atmosphere. The gentle curves of the bamboo stalks and the subtle shading show a mastery of technique, inviting viewers to pause and appreciate the stillness of the scene.
See it in person
Bamboo under the Moon is on display in Room 33 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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