Mountains of the Immortals

1279–1368

Chen Ruyan

Chen Ruyan (Chinese, c. 1331-bef 1371)

Chinese Art

Mountains of the Immortals, 1279–1368. Chen Ruyan (Chinese, c. 1331-bef 1371), calligraphy by Ni Zan (Chinese, 1301–1374). Handscroll, ink and color on silk; painting only: 33.4 x 97.3 cm (13 1/8 x 38 5/16 in.); height: 35 cm (13 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1997.95

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Chen Ruyan
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: handscroll, ink and color on silk
Medium: handscroll, ink, color, silk
Dimensions: Painting only: 33.4 x 97.3 cm (13 1/8 x 38 5/16 in.); height: 35 cm (13 3/4 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: 1 inscription, 3 colophons, and 37 seals: 1 inscription, dated 1371, by Ni Zan 倪瓚 (1301-1374); 17 seals of Xiang Yuanbian 項元汴 (1525-1590); 4 seals of Chu Chih-ch'ih (late Ming Dynasty); 1 seal of Liang Qingbiao 梁淸標 (1620-1691); 1 seal of Gao Shiqi 高士奇 (1645-1704); 4 seals of Lu Xinyuan 陸心源 (1834-1894); 1 colophon, dated 1908, and 5 seals of Jing Xian 景贒; 1 colophon, dated 1915, by Lung Yu; 1 colophon, dated 1932, and 2 seals of Wu Mei; 3 seals unidentified. Inscription: 仙山圖，陳君惟允所畫。秀潤清遠，深得趙榮祿筆意。其人已矣，今不可復得。辛亥十二月二日倪瓚 Translation: Inscription by Ni Zan: The picture of The Land of Immortals was painted by Chen Weiyun 陳惟允 [Chen Ruyan]. Its refinement, mellowness, and purity have succeeded profoundly in capturing the brush ideas of Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫. Now the gentleman is no longer with us. One will never be able to acquire such a painting again. Ni Zan wrote this on the second day of the twelfth month of the xinhai year, the fourth year of Hongwu [1371]. Inscription: Colophon by Jing Xian 景贒: The preceding Land of Immortals is an authentic work of the Yuan master, Chen Weiyun 陳惟允. According to the Yu yi bian 寓意編 by Du Mu 都穆of the Ming Dynasty, the painting was seen at the home of Chen Mengxian 陳孟賢 [c. 1500], a hermit. It is also recorded in Yu yi lu 寓意錄 of the present [Qing] era. The dimensions and the seals are all correct. When the painting went into the possession of Liang Qingbiao 梁淸標, the silk was already quite dilapidated. The only thing now missing, however, is the one line of writing by Xiang Zijing 項子京 [Xiang Yuanbian 項元汴] who records the original price he paid, being fifteen taels of silver. This must have been cut off by the dealer, which nevertheless did no harm to a masterpiece such as this. Jing Xian recorded this in the second month of the maoshen year [1908].
Departments: Chinese Art
Accession Number: 1997.95
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Exhibitions: Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art, Taoism and the Arts of China, The World of Kubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 1-November 24, 1968)., Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 10-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982)., Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982)., The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986)., Realm of the Immortals: Daoism in the Arts of China. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 10-April 10, 1988)., The Fragrance of Ink: Chinese and Japanese Paintings from the Collection of Mrs. A. Dean Perry. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (April 19-August 3, 1997).
Rights Statement: CC0