Admonitions Scroll display room

The Admonitions Scroll combines figures and text across a silk surface. Its scenes illustrate an admonitory work associated with Zhang Hua, a court writer in ancient China. Nine of an original twelve scenes survive in the painting held by the Museum. Room 91a has been used in wayfinding for the scroll’s limited display periods. The painting’s sensitivity to light makes an announced exhibition important when planning to see the original. Ask about the current Asian painting displays rather than expecting the scroll as a permanent stop. The scroll’s surviving scenes and later history can also be explored in the Admonitions Scroll reading. Its painted figures offer a view of courtly behaviour, alongside the text’s instructions about how people should conduct themselves.