↗Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) · late 1790s
Cherry Blossoms in the Wind
Utagawa Toyokuni
John L. Severance Fund · The Cleveland Museum of Art
Image: public domain (CC0) · Museum record & image source ↗
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644) · 1548
Playing the Qin in a Secluded Valley
- Date
- 1548
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
- Dimensions
- Overall: 132 x 50.5 cm (51 15/16 x 19 7/8 in.)
- Country / context
- China
- Movement / tradition
- Chinese painting
- Collection
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Pathway
- Chinese painting ↗
FROM THE MUSEUM
The poem inscribed in this painting reads: "Ten thousand layered lofty mountains are presented to the cultivated eye, A thousand feet of cascading falls cleanse the dusty heart. May the harmonies of my red-stringed tune Be the humble answer to the pine wind's ancient song." Different versions of this painting exist. Scholars have suggested that the solid renderings of the rock masses and the volumetric mountain configurations as seen here appear more characteristic of Lu Zhi 陸治 (1496–1576), Wen Zhengming's pupil.
Collection text · The Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0A MOMENT TO LOOK
Start with what you can see: shapes, surface, colour and scale. How might the listed materials affect the way this object was made and experienced?
Looking prompt · an invitation to observe, not a historical interpretation.
