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Mar 1, 2021

River and Mountains on a Clear Autumn Day

江山秋霽圖

c. 1624–27

Dong Qichang 董其昌

(Chinese, 1555–1636)

China, Ming dynasty

(1368–1644)

Handscroll; ink on Korean paper

Painting only: 38.4 x 136.8 cm (15 1/8 x 53 7/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1959.46

Location

not on view

Description

Perhaps the most visionary artist in pre-modern China, Dong Qichang made a tremendous impact on the artistic practices of later generations of painters as well as their attitude toward the historiography of Chinese art. As a leading literati artist and art critic, Dong’s works of art and writings express "literati aesthetics" that emphasize art as a vehicle of self-expression, rather than merely craftsmanship evoking illusionism or realism.

Dong theorized that the artistic tradition of emulating old masters’ styles, which Chinese painters had practiced for many centuries, was integral to artistic creativity. All the pictorial components—trees, rocks, hills, streams, and bridges diagonally placed across the handscroll—do not serve to represent a specific recognizable place or evoking illusionism, but rather they exhibit Dong’s intellectual configuration of brush and ink that evoke some of the esteemed earlier literati artists he admired.

The paper Dong used for this work was part of a roll of paper that had been presented to the Chinese emperor from the king of Korea in 1573. A short note by the Korean king is still visible despite Dong’s attempts to erase it. The colophon at the far left, in fact, testifies to Dong’s love for Korean paper: “Each time Dong Qichang encountered the mirror-smooth Korean paper, his calligraphy and painting became even more inspired.”

Inscriptions

Inscription

黃子久江山秋霽似此，當恨古人不見我也。思翁

Inscription Translation

Artist's inscription and signature at left: Huang Zijiu’s [Huang Gongwang’s] River and Mountains on a Clear Autumn Day looks like this. I truly regret that this ancient master has not seen my work. Siweng

Inscription

董文敏每遇高麗鏡面箋，書畫尤為入神。此卷改表紙用之，字跡隱然，兼有朝鮮之印。至於筆法圓秀，真接倪黃。豈文沈所可同日而語也。康熙庚午中秋後一日，天氣澄爽，重裝初畢，跋於瓶廬。抱瓮翁高士奇。

Inscription Translation

2 colophons and 10 seals of Gao Shiqi 高士奇 (1645-1704): First inscription by Gao Shiqi: Each time Dong Qichang encountered the mirror-smooth Korean paper, his calligraphy and painting became even more inspired. Here in this scroll he made use of a paper that formerly was meant for tributary presentation. One can still discern faint traces of written characters. In addition, there is on the paper [the imprint of] a Korean seal. As to his brushwork, which is rounded and elegant, it harks directly back to Ni [Zan] and Huang [Gongwang]. This is not what Shen [Zhou] and Wen [Zhengming] were ever able to attain and to be placed on the same footing. On the day after the mid-autumn festival [the sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month], in the gengwu year of the Kangxi era [1690], the weather is clear. The remounting has just been finished. I inscribe the colophon at Pinglu. Bao weng weng Gao Shiqi.

Inscription

Second inscription by Gao Shiqi 高士奇 (1645-1704): On the twenty-third day of the ninth month, the jiaxu year of the Kangxi era [1694], I packed my bags to head north. When my boat passed Wuchang [Suzhou], Mr. Mantang [Song Luo] brought wine to bid me farewell so that we could share our thoughts on our separation in the last few years. I showed him the paintings and calligraphy which I collected and asked his opinions. Since Mr. Mantang does not own any handscrolls by Wenmin [Dong Qichang], I leave this one for him in commemoration of our parting; thus the painting will have a worthy owner and our meeting will become a beautiful story in the future. It is the fourth day after the beginning of winter, with the sky clear and sober. Trees under frost have turned red and yellow, seemingly echoing the brush and ink in the painting. I also ask Mr. Mantang to inscribe a poem to commemorate our meeting so that it will survive forever.

Inscription

1 colophon and 4 seals of Song Luo 宋犖 (1634-1713): Who is the foremost art connoisseur of our dynasty?/ Tangcun [Liang Qingbiao, 1620-1691] is dead, so the title passes to Jiangcun [Gao Shiqi]./ Leaving office, you retired for five years in the Lake region./ Fondling handscrolls and hanging scrolls from morning to evening./ You sent me your collection catalogue Xiao Xia Lu last year;/ It is indeed the true equal of [Zhou Mi's] Yun Yan Guo Yan./ This year you returned to the capital by imperial order;/ Your boat with calligraphy and paintings anchored at the river bank in Suzhou./ When we met each other you did not waste any time for conversation by poured out immediately/ From your "coral net" extraordinary treasures./ You produced incomparable scrolls, with gold-inscribed labels and jade rollers,/ Pouring out from bags and trunks, they were spread in disarray./ Without a word, I rolled and unrolled until my fingers were numbed,/ We sat straight, facing each other quietly, and never felt tired./ For three days we forgot about sleeping and food./ And at times we shouted our joy out loud, forgetting who is host or guest./ Your Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains and the Yuansheng manuscript/ These peerless works I myself examined with delight./ As an added pleasure to the farewell dinner under the Maple Bridge,/ You allowed me to hold again this handscroll by Dong Qichang--/ The Misty River and Piled Peaks [by Zhao Mengfu] and this Clear Autumn Day are two extraordinary masterpieces./ In showing such life and spirit with "qi yun." the artists were truly "men of heaven."/ The Clear Autumn Day is not even three feet long,/ Painted on tributary Korean paper, it shines like silver./ Every building up and every turn of the mountains imitates nature,/ Every tree and every rock is removed from the commonplace./ From the beginning, the theory of poetry is the theory of painting,/ Like the lotus and the morning sunshine, they complement and refresh each other./ The artist's inscription regrets that "the Old Masters cannot see my scroll."/ Huang Gongwang would have agreed in his grave./ The vermilion of the seals glitter and dazzles the eyes,/ These added accessories are as valuable as jade./ You are very kind to give it to me,/ The feelings expressed in your inscription are so sincere./ Wanting to refuse, but unable, I accept it to respect your wish,/ And taking off my gown and cap I wrapped it with care./ You asked me to write a long poem in commemoration of this beautiful occasion,/ I am too ashamed that my effort in response is so poor and inadequate./ Returning home, I unrolled it under candlelight, trying to write the colophon,/ The light of the waning moon shines at the foot of the mossy wall./ Earnestly humming and brows knit in deep thought, I try to compose;/ The verses are not outstanding, but the facts are real./ With this poem recorded at the end of the scroll, I mail it to you for approval,/ This poem and this painting shall outlast a thousand springs. (Translation by LYSL/HK/WKH)

Inscription

1 colophon and 2 seals of Shao Changheng 邵長蘅 (1637-1704); 2 inscriptions and 14 seals of the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-95); 1 seal of the Jiaqing emperor (r. 1796-1820); 3 seals of the Xuantong emperor (r. 1909-11); 1 seal unidentified.

Inscription

[印] 朝鮮國王之印

Inscription Translation

Seal of King Seonjo 선조 [Yi Yeon, 이연, 李昖] (r. 1567–1608): "Seal of the King of Joseon," and fragmentary text listing tributary gifts to the Ming Emperor Wanli, dated the nineteenth day, eighth month, in the first year of Wanli's reign period, i.e. 1573.

Inscription Remark

Dong Qichang painted this landscape on Korean paper that had served as an official, tributary presentation by the Korean King Seonjo 선조 (r. 1567–1608) to the Wanli Emperor in the first year of the latter’s reign, 1573. Consequently, before its new use as a painting surface, an attempt was made to erase the text. A major portion is no longer legible since more than half may have become hidden under the painted passages. Still, the king of Korea's large square seal with a thick red border can be easily seen amid the later Qing imperial seals. Its oil base obviously made the erasure impossible. In addition, a portion of the text above the landscape can still be read. It lists the the tributary gifts that the Korean king presented to the Ming emperor including “twenty horses” and “an assortment of luxury textiles and woven products.”

Provenance

Gao Shiqi 高士奇 [1645–1703]

Song Luo 宋犖 [1634–1713]

Shao Changheng 邵長蘅 [1637–1704]

c. 1736–at least c. 1850

Qing imperial collection (seals of Emperors Qianlong, r. 1736–1795, Jiaqing, r. 1796–1820, and Xuanzong, r. 1821–1850)

?–1959

(C. C. Wang 王季遷 [1907–2003], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1959–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Goepper, Roger. 1000 Jahre chinesische Malerei. München: Haus der Kunst, 1959. cat. no. 64

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 265 archive.org

Cahill, James, and Virginia Field. Fantastics and Eccentrics in Chinese Painting. [New York]: Asia Society; distributed by Abrams, 1967. Reproduced: cat. no. 2

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 265 archive.org

Lee, Sherman E. 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. Reproduced: cat. no. 32

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 352 archive.org

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. Reproduced: cat. no. 191, p. 244-246

Gardner, Helen, Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996. Reproduced: p. 513, fig. 15-28

Fong, Wen, Chin-Sung Chang, and Maxwell K. Hearn. Landscapes clear and radiant: the art of Wang Hui (1632-1717). New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008. Reproduced: fig. 5, p. 7

Yang, Kathleen 楊凱琳, and Chi-chʻien Wang 王季遷. Through a Chinese connoisseur's eye: private notes of C.C. Wang 王季遷讀書筆記. Beijing: Zhong hua shu ju, 2010. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 311, no. 30

Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. Reproduced: pp. 308-313

Powers, Martin J., and Katherine R. Tsiang, eds. A Companion to Chinese Art. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell, 2016. Reproduced: p. 190, fig. 8.2

Tanenbaum, Mary. Fishing on the Terrace: A Collection of Writings, edited by Heather Parks. [Redwood City, CA]: Stanford University Press, 2018 Reproduced: p. 110-111

Exhibition history

1000 Jahre. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (October 16-December 13, 1959).

Chinese Paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1960).

Fifteen Chinese Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts (1964).

Fantastics and Eccentrics. Asia House Gallery, New York, NY, (March 23-May 28, 1967).

Fifteen Chinese Paintings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA (organizer) (October 9-28, 1964).

Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11-October 10, 1965).

Fantastics and Eccentrics in Chinese Painting. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (March 23-May 28, 1967); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (June 20-August 13, 1967); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA (September 15-November 5, 1967).

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).

The Compelling Image: Nature and Style in 17th Century Chinese Painting. Fogg Art Museum/Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (organizer) (February 15-April 30, 1979).

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).

Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).

Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992).

The Artist as Collector: Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the C.C. Wang Family Collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 3, 1999-January 9, 2000).

Landscapes Clear and Radiant: The Art of Wang Hui (1632-1717). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 9, 2008-January 4, 2009).

Silent Poetry: Masterworks of Chinese Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 14, 2015-April 24, 2016).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=River and Mountains on a Clear Autumn Day|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1959.46|author=Dong Qichang|year=c. 1624–27|access-date=09 June 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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River and Mountains on a Clear Autumn Day

River and Mountains on a Clear Autumn Day

江山秋霽圖

Dong Qichang 董其昌

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