id: 139746 accession number: 1963.515 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.515 updated: 2024-03-26 01:59:04.439000 Bamboo, Rocks and Lonely Orchids, 1271–1368. Zhao Mengfu (Chinese, 1254–1322). Handscroll; ink on paper; mounted: 52.4 x 1337.7 cm (20 5/8 x 526 5/8 in.); image: 50.9 x 147.8 cm (20 1/16 x 58 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund by exchange 1963.515 title: Bamboo, Rocks and Lonely Orchids title in original language: 竹石幽蘭圖 series: series in original language: creation date: 1271–1368 creation date earliest: 1271 creation date latest: 1368 current location: creditline: John L. Severance Fund by exchange copyright: --- culture: China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) technique: Handscroll; ink on paper department: Chinese Art collection: ASIAN - Handscroll type: Painting find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * Zhao Mengfu (Chinese, 1254–1322) - artist --- measurements: Mounted: 52.4 x 1337.7 cm (20 5/8 x 526 5/8 in.); Image: 50.9 x 147.8 cm (20 1/16 x 58 3/16 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: 竹石幽蘭 translation: remark: inscription: 孟頫為善夫寫. [印] 趙氏子昂; [印] 松雪齋; [印] 天水郡圖書印 translation: remark: inscription: 古人善書者必能畫點墨作蠅，便自有生意。松雪翁蘭石草聖飛帛筆法皆具，可寶也。安陽韓性 [印]明善 translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 2. Qiu Yuan 仇遠 (1247-after 1328), a respected poet during the Song and Yuan periods. He was linked to, among others, Zhao Mengfu and Gao Kegong. Zhao Mengfu painted a version of Nine Songs 九歌圖 for him, and Gao Kegong dedicated to him a painting titled Mountain Village 山村圖 (current whereabouts unknown). His poem here is also preserved in his collected works. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 3. Zheng Yuanyou 鄭元祐 (1292-1364), an erudite scholar and teacher of renown, active in Hangzhou and Suzhou. In the 1350s, when Gu Ying’s literary gatherings were at their peak, he was already elderly and participated in a limited way. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 4. Wu Kegong 吳克恭 (active mid-1300s), a friend of Gu Ying and Ni Zan 倪瓚 (1301–1374), a major Yuan painter. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 5. Angji 昻吉 (jinshi of 1348), of Western Xia 西夏 origin and a poet of distinction. He wrote an introduction to the painting Literary Gathering at Yushan 玉山雅集圖, of which Zhang Wo was the painter translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 2. Yuan: friends of Gu Ying Colophon 6. Wang Zifang 王孜方 (active mid-1300s), an official who, at the time of his visits to Gu　Ying’s estate, had reached the rank of Minister. He is better known under the name Wang Keju 王可矩. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 7. Ke Jiusi 柯九思 (1290–1343), a major official who served in the Kuizhang Pavilion 奎章閣　and as an advisor to Emperor Wenzong in matters of calligraphy and painting. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 8. Yu Li 于立 (active mid-1300s), a Daoist recluse, poet, and close friend of Gu Ying, so much so that during his visit to Gu Ying’s estate he was given accommodation in a special pavilion. His poem here is also preserved in Gu Ying’s Cao tang ya ji. translation: remark: inscription: 至正十一年十月廿八日男奕百拜堇觀 [印] 趙奕 translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 10. Yu Ji 虞集 (1272-1398), a major official and literary figure who also served in the Kuizhang Ge. His poem is recorded in his collected works. The poem is one of a set of four inscribed at the request of Wang Huayu 汪華玉 on Orchids and Rock 蘭石圖 by Zhao Mengfu, obviously a different, long lost, painting. Wang Huayu was an official and a collector (jinshi of 1327). Yu Ji’s colophon here was written before 1348 and during his retirement in Linchuan 臨川, Jiangxi, possibly sent from there. It is possible he had not seen the painting, and his calligraphy here appears to be rather casual and detached, jotting down an old poem without much care, contrary to his earlier practice. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 11. Sun Shi 孫時 (mid-1300s–early 1400s), a native of Yuncheng 鄆城, Shandong, and a jinshi of 1390. He may have been quite young when paying a visit to the Yushan gatherings in the late 1340s and early 1350s. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 12. Zhang Zhu 張翥 (1287–1368), Qiu Yuan’s disciple and a poet of renown, who enjoyed a belated career in officialdom and was known for his integrity. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 4. Yuan and Ming: further friends of Gu Ying; colophon 17 begins the early Ming sequence. Colophon 13. Zhang Wo 張渥 (active c. 1336-after 1364), a frustrated scholar, a poet, and a painter of landscape and figures. An active participant in Gu Ying’s literary circle, he painted the Literary Gathering at Yushan, a pictorial document of the individuals and activities on Gu Ying’s estate. His rendering of Nine Songs is well known, and one version is in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (see 1959.138). His poem here is also found in Gu Ying’s Cao tang ya ji, under the entry “ti Zhao Hanlin mo lan 題趙翰林墨蘭” (inscribed on the Ink Orchid by Zhao the Hanlin academician). This is a rare instance of calligraphy as well as signature by the artist. translation: remark: inscription: 觀吳興公竹石幽蘭圖使人鄙吝頓消。其筆勢從橫天真爛澷，一出於二王書法。冝仲瑛寳而玩之異於常品也。至正八年十月天台陳基書 translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 15. Zhang Shen 張紳 (active about 1340–after 1385), a respected calligrapher and participant in Gu Ying’s literary gathering. He resided in Kunshan, the same city where Gu Ying’s estate lies. In the third line of the poem, he mentioned Gu Ying’s hao, “Jinsu 金粟.” This was a name he assumed later in life, after the death of his mother in the year 1356. Thus this inscription must have been written after that date. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 16. Wang Sun 汪遜 (active mid-14th century), a little-known native of Kuaiji 會稽, who may have been one of the infrequent visitors to Gu Ying’s estate. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 17. Hu Guang 胡廣 (1370-1418) is the first Ming colophon writer on this scroll. He was an official of great power in the court and a trusted advisor of Emperor Chengzu; he served as the Grand Academician of the Hall of Literary Profundity 文淵閣大學士 and Grand Academician of the Left Secretariat of the Heir-Apparent 左春坊大學士. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 5. Early Ming Colophon 18. Wang Yinshi 王尹實 (active about 1403–about 1424), a native of Siming 四明, Zhejiang, and a minor official and calligrapher. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 19. Zhang Yuchu (signed here as “Wuwei 無 為”), the forty-third Heavenly Master of the Zhengyi sect of Daoism. A man of erudition, he was also a poet, painter, and calligrapher. A modified version of the poem here was published in his collected works titled Xian quan ji 峴泉集. A slight modification in the first line is the only change: “Wu xing miao yao nian bing xue zi 吳興玅年氷雪姿.” translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 20. Yao Guangxiao 姚廣孝 (1335-1418), a Buddhist monk, scholar, and counselor to Chengzu in his successful attempt at usurpation of the throne. Yao Guangxiao was a controversial figure but wielded enormous power. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 6. Wang Ning alone Colophon 21. Wang Ning 王寧 (d. 1411) signed as “Qingzhen 清真” in this colophon. One of the three seals reveals his identity as the Yongchun Hou 永春侯 [Marquis of Lasting Spring] (appointed 1402), and the husband of Princess Huaiqing 懷慶公主 (1328-1398), the sixth daughter of the founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. This colophon postdates 1402. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 7. Mid-Ming Colophon 22. Ou Yi’an 區易安 (active first half of 15th century), unknown translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 23. Chen Lian 陳璉 (1370-1454), a native of Dongguan 東莞, Guangdong 廣東, and an official admired for his erudition and perspicacity. In view to the known calligraphic style of Chen Lian, this colophon appears to be a transcription and not written by him. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 24. Wei Ji 魏驥 (1374-1471) enjoyed longevity (he lived to the age of ninety-eight) and an extended length of service as an official. A jinshi of 1406, he eventually became the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing 南京吏部尚書. The colophon here is dated 1434, when he was invited to view the painting by the Court Musician Mo Zhizhong 莫至翀, its owner. Again, in view of its calligraphic style, this was not written by him, but is a transcription from the original. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 25: Zhang Yi 章鎰 (active 1462-1473), a Ningbo native and an official with a reputation for courage and integrity. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 8. Further mid-Ming Colophon 26. Yin Zhi 尹直 (1427-1511), a controversial figure in Ming politics in spite of his erudition and high position as the Minister of War 兵部尚書. translation: remark: inscription: Colophon 27. Zou Yu 鄒虞 (active 1460-1520; jinshi of 1490), a native of Hangzhou. In 1510, he was appointed Administrative Vice Commissioner in Guangdong. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 9. Xu Shouhe 徐守和 alone Colophon 28. Xu Shouhe 徐守和 dated his entry in 1629. Since he wrote it in his own studio, The Lesser Qingbi Pavilion 小清閟, he was likely the owner of the scroll. Xu’s life is not well documented; he was a connoisseur of note during the last years of the Ming dynasty rule. He may have acquired the Cleveland scroll from Wu Ting, whose seals appear here. translation: remark: inscription: Sheet 10. The mounter’s note. Xu Shudong 徐曙東 of Jiaxing 嘉興 made the remounting on the first day of sixth month, 1802. translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Year in Review (1963) opening date: 1963-11-27T05:00:00 Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 27, 1963-January 5, 1964). title: The Colors of Ink opening date: 1974-01-10T04:00:00 The Colors of Ink. Asia House Galleries (January 10-March 3, 1974); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-May 12, 1974). title: Looking East: Yuan Dynasty Paintings opening date: 1976-09-15T04:00:00 Looking East: Yuan Dynasty Paintings. Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH (organizer) (September 15-November 6, 1976). title: Chinese Paintings: Themes and Techniques opening date: 1981-02-07T05:00:00 Chinese Paintings: Themes and Techniques. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 7-April 5, 1981). title: Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting opening date: 1981-02-11T05:00:00 Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 11-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982). title: Visions of Landscape: East and West opening date: 1982-02-17T05:00:00 Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982). title: Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection opening date: 1991-09-17T04:00:00 Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992). title: Masterpieces of Early Chinese Painting and Calligraphy in American Collections opening date: 2012-11-01T00:00:00 Masterpieces of Early Chinese Painting and Calligraphy in American Collections. Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China (organizer) (November 1, 2012-January 3, 2013). title: Inspired by Chinese Landscape and Art – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c opening date: 2017-08-14T04:00:00 Inspired by Chinese Landscape and Art – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 14, 2017-February 5, 2018). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * {'description': 'Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 1-November 24, 1968).', 'opening_date': '1968-10-01T00:00:00'} --- PROVENANCE Gu Xin 顧信 [1279–1353] date: footnotes: citations: Gu Ying 顧瑛 [1310–1369] date: footnotes: citations: Mo Zhichong 莫至翀 [1400s] date: footnotes: citations: Wu Ting 吳廷 [first half of 1600s] date: footnotes: citations: Xu Shouhe 徐守和 [1600s] date: footnotes: citations: Liang Qingbiao 梁清標 [1620–1691] date: footnotes: citations: Tang Zuomei 唐作梅 [late 1700s–1800s] date: footnotes: citations: (Frank Caro [1904–1980], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) date: ?–1963 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1963– footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS "Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1963." Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America 18 (1964): pp. 69-91. page number: Reproduced: p. 71, fig. 10 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20067074 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. page number: Reproduced: p. 262 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n286 Lee, Sherman E., and Wai-kam Ho. Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; [distributed by the Press of Case Western Reserve University], 1968. page number: cat. no. 235 url: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. page number: Reproduced: p. 262 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n286 Lee, Sherman Emery, and James Robinson. The Colors of Ink: Chinese Paintings and Related Ceramics from the Cleveland Museum of Art. New York: Asia Society; distributed by New York Graphic Society, 1974. page number: cat. no. 10 url: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. page number: Reproduced: p. 346 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n366 Lee, Sherman E. "River Village: Fisherman's Joy." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Vol. 66, No. 7 (Oct., 1979), p. 271-288. page number: Reproduced: p. 271-288, Fig. 2 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159640 Ho, Wai-kam, Sherman E. Lee, Laurence Sickman, and Marc F. Wilson. Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting: The Collections of the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1980. page number: Reproduced: cat. no. 81, pp. 100-101 url: Lee, Sherman E., and Wai-kam Ho. The Nature and Significance of the Collection of Liang Ch'ing-Piao. Taipei, Taiwan: Chung-hua ming-kuo, 1960. page number: Mentioned: p. 134, no. 156 url: 钟银兰主编《中国鉴藏家印鉴大全》（江西美术出版社，2008.7） page number: url: Shanghai bo wu guan 上海博物館. Han mo hui cui: xi du Meiguo cang Zhongguo Wu dai Song Yuan shu hua zhen pin [翰墨薈萃: 细读美国藏中国五代宋元书画珍品 = Masterpieces of early Chinese painting and calligraphy in American collections]. Beijing: Beijing da xue chu ban she, 2012. page number: Reproduced: cat no. 48, pp. 447-457 url: Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. page number: Reproduced: p. 102-108 url: Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. page number: pp. 102-108 url: Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. page number: p. 102 url: Xie, Zhiliu 谢稚柳. Tang Wu dai Song Yuan ming ji 唐五代宋元名迹. Shanghai: Shanghai ren min chu ban she, 2018. page number: Reproduced: pp. 178–185 url: Lee, Sherman E., and Wai-kam Ho. The Nature and Significance of the Collection of Liang Ch'ing-Piao. Taipei, Taiwan: Chung-hua ming-kuo, 1960. page number: 134 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.515/1963.515_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.515/1963.515_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1963.515/1963.515_full.tif