A Scholar's Retreat amid Autumn Trees

c. 1403

Wang Fu

Wang Fu (Chinese, 1362–1416)

Chinese Art

A Scholar's Retreat amid Autumn Trees, c. 1403. Wang Fu (Chinese, 1362–1416). Hanging scroll, ink on paper; image: 58.7 x 27.2 cm (23 1/8 x 10 11/16 in.); overall: 82.3 x 40 cm (32 3/8 x 15 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1997.98 Wang Fu painted this going-away present and 3 friends added poems wishing the best for their departing friend Gongyi.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Wang Fu
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: hanging scroll, ink on paper
Medium: hanging, scroll, ink, paper
Dimensions: Image: 58.7 x 27.2 cm (23 1/8 x 10 11/16 in.); Overall: 82.3 x 40 cm (32 3/8 x 15 3/4 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: 青山疎雨晩來晴，林木蕭條爽氣生。/ 記得當年齋館夜，一窗燈火讀書聲。/ 公義求寫秋林書舍，復徵題，遂賦此。王紱 [印] 孟端; 友石生; 破研齋 Translation: Artist's inscription, signature, and 3 seals: Blue hills and sparse rain: the weather is clearing up in the evening./ Trees in the forest are withering, with an accompanying refreshing air./ Do you not recall the night we spent together in a lodge for ritual cleansing?/ The sound of reading seeped through the window lit by candle lights. Gongyi requested that I paint this Scholar’s Retreat amid Autumn Forest. In addition, he asked me for a written comment. I complied. Wang Fu. [seals] Mengduan; Po yan zhai; You shi sheng. Inscription: 飛飛木葉亂辭枝，裊裊涼風入袂時。/ 床上詩書勤課子，夜深窗下有吾伊。 Translation: 1 poem and 1 seal of Shao Sheng 邵昇 (1491-1534) of Renhe 仁和, juren of 1507: Fly, fly the leaves parting from branches./ Tender is the breeze that enters the sleeves./ Upon the bed, the piled-up classics are for educating the young./ Nightly, the sound of chanting can be heard through the window. Inscription: 林僻茅齋靜，秋清露氣寒。/ 閑居讀書者，不為要求官。 Translation: 1 poem and 1 seal of Han Yi 韓奕 (1334–1406) from Suzhou: The forest is isolated and the thatched cottage is quiet./ Autumn is clear and the dewdrops chill the air./ He who leads a life of leisure is immersed in reading./ He does so without aiming for an official post. Inscription: 碧樹宵含露氣涼，青燈孤照讀書床。/ 十年勤苦何須論，一日聲名達帝郷。 Translation: 1 poem and 2 seals of Qian Ji 錢驥 (second half of 14th–early 15th century) from Shanghai: In the evening, the green trees are chilled by the dewdrops./ A cool lamp light shines on a solitary figure on the bed reading./ Ten years of such struggles are beside the point./ For one day your fame will reach the imperial domain. Inscription: 溪山遠帶暮雲平，幾處長林映晩晴。/ 瑟瑟秋聲來樹杪，寒燈明滅月三更。 Translation: 1 poem and 1 seal of Mianyi 愛新覺羅綿億 (皇三孫, the 3rd imperial grandson of the Qianlong Emperor): Streams and hills level the evening mist./ Rows of trees reflect the evening sun./ “Sa, sa” are the autumn sounds sweeping through the treetops./ A chilling lamp and its blinking light echo the moon on the third watch. Inscription: 5 seals of the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-95); 1 seal of Tang Xun (dates unknown); 2 seals of He Zheng 何澂 (d. 1888); 3 seals of Cheng Qi 程琦 (1911–1988); 2 seals of Li Guochao 李國超 (20th century); 2 seals unidentified.
Departments: Chinese Art
Accession Number: 1997.98
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Exhibitions: 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)., 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