Description
Painted in modulated monochrome ink washes with dark dots for foliate accents, the anonymous artist successfully suggests the dense atmosphere of a warm summer night. Under a full moon a scholar rides a mule, accompanied by a servant who carries his belongings. The poem inscribed by Chan (Zen) priest Yunfeng Miaogao identifies the figure as the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu 杜甫 (712–770).
Who rides Du [Fu]'s mule:
Through the universe his name resounds.
Chanting poems as he rides off on his mule,
How quickly does he become drunk with Heaven and Earth!
Who rides Du [Fu]'s mule:
Through the universe his name resounds.
Chanting poems as he rides off on his mule,
How quickly does he become drunk with Heaven and Earth!
Provenance
Kimbell Art Foundation, Fort Worth, Texas, deaccessioned and consigned to Sotheby's New York (by 1972–1987); (Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, NY, Fine Chinese Paintings sale June 2, 1987, lot 1, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (June 2, 1987); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1987–)
Accession Number
1987.37
Medium
hanging scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions
Image: 54.3 x 36 cm (21 3/8 x 14 3/16 in.); Overall: 139.6 x 41.4 cm (54 15/16 x 16 5/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
