Distant mountains beyond a river

Simply drawn buildings on the riverbank in the lower left corner of the composition are dwarfed by large windblown trees growing from a foreground promontory. A narrow bridge connects the elements in the lower left with a small tip of land at the lower right and, compositionally, leads the viewer into the distance, which is dominated by light blue mountain peaks. The asymmetrical composition is based on traditions developed during the Southern Song period and usually associated with Ma Yuan (active 1189-1224) and Xia Gui (active 1194-1224).

Maker(s)
Artist: Formerly attributed to Jing Hao (傳)荊浩 (ca. 870-ca.935)
Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 16th century
School
Zhe School
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 23.1 x 22.6 cm (9 1/8 x 8 7/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Collection of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer. Gift of Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Freer Gallery of Art
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1998.3
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Painting
Type

Album leaf

Keywords
bridge, China, landscape, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), mountain, river
Provenance

To 1970
Eugene (1875-1959) and Agnes E. (1887-1970) Meyer, Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, NY

From 1970 to 1998
Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz (1914-2001), Armonk, NY, by descent from her mother Agnes E. Meyer [1]

From 1992
Freer Gallery of Art, given by Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz in 1998 [1]

Notes:

[1] See Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz’s Deed of Gift, dated February 5, 1998, in object file.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer (1875-1959) and (1887-1970)
Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz 1913-2001

Description

Simply drawn buildings on the riverbank in the lower left corner of the composition are dwarfed by large windblown trees growing from a foreground promontory. A narrow bridge connects the elements in the lower left with a small tip of land at the lower right and, compositionally, leads the viewer into the distance, which is dominated by light blue mountain peaks. The asymmetrical composition is based on traditions developed during the Southern Song period and usually associated with Ma Yuan (active 1189-1224) and Xia Gui (active 1194-1224).

Published References
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 238-239.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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