Returning from the Ba bridge at sunset

This scroll presents two works: a painting by Wen Jia and its corresponding calligraphy in running script by Wang Zhideng above the painting. Intellectuals tended to share their interests and pursuits to create collaborations such as this work. Word and image join forces in this poetic presentation of literati art.
In the painting a man on a donkey is about to step off a stone bridge and head to a thatched cottage ahead. The man’s worn, wide-brimmed hat and loose robe indicate his educated status. A subtle expression of the man’s eagerness to return home is expressed through his hands—one pulls the reins over the donkey’s head, while the other appears to be whipping the donkey’s buttock.
In his four-line poem, Wang likened Wen’s inspiration to a classical event known as the send-off at Ba bridge, a site located in the suburbs of the Tang-dynasty capital of Chang’an; the bridge was where Tang elites would bid fond farewells to friends and loved ones. The Ba bridge became a sentimental, symbolic place for intellectuals who would depart for the countryside from the metropolis.