Description

A miniature inspired by the “Peach Blossom Spring,” this painting illustrates the well-known tale written by the poet-recluse Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE), in which a fisherman accidentally discovers a hidden utopian village where residents live in harmony, untouched by the outside world's troubles. While the painting lacks a signature, scholars concur on its attribution to Shi Rui, evident from the dynamic landscape and the effortlessly rendered figures that showcase the artist's skill.

Provenance

(Dr. Vladimir G. Simkhovitch [1874–1959], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1952); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1952–)

The Haven of the Peach-Blossom Spring

Shi Rui

mid-1400s

Accession Number

1952.283

Medium

Album leaf; ink and slight color on silk

Dimensions

Image: 24.7 x 22.2 cm (9 3/4 x 8 3/4 in.); Overall: 66.7 x 40.4 cm (26 1/4 x 15 7/8 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund

Background & Context

Background Story

The Haven of the Peach-Blossom Spring from the mid-1400s is a Chinese painting depicting the famous subject of the Peach-Blossom Spring, following the long Chinese tradition of painting this subject that is based on Tao Qian's 4th-century poem about a fisherman who discovers a hidden utopian valley. The mid-1400s date places this in the Ming dynasty period, when the tradition of painting the Peach-Blossom Spring had become one of the most important subjects in Chinese painting. The Peach-Blossom Spring subject represents the Chinese ideal of a utopian world hidden from the troubles of ordinary life, and the painting connects to the long Chinese tradition of depicting this ideal in both literature and art.

Cultural Impact

The Haven of the Peach-Blossom Spring is important in the history of Chinese painting because it demonstrates the enduring tradition of painting the Peach-Blossom Spring subject that is based on Tao Qian's 4th-century poem. The tradition of painting the Peach-Blossom Spring—representing the Chinese ideal of a utopian world hidden from the troubles of ordinary life—is one of the most important subjects in Chinese painting, and the mid-1400s painting shows this tradition during the Ming dynasty period.

Why It Matters

The Haven of the Peach-Blossom Spring is a Ming dynasty painting depicting the famous subject based on Tao Qian's 4th-century poem about a hidden utopian valley. The mid-1400s painting represents one of the most important subjects in Chinese painting—the Chinese ideal of a utopian world hidden from the troubles of ordinary life.

Related Artworks

Waiting for the Moon in the Mid Autumn Festival