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The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream
Dai Jin1400s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Xu You, a recluse who refused the throne offered to him by legendary Emperor Yao, chose instead to farm on Mount Ji. Sitting under cliffs, his left arm resting on his risen leg and his loose robe revealing his belly, he displays a nonchalant attitude. Xu You is wearing a laborer’s outfit, a short robe and tight leggings, while his composed pose and gentle features reveal his lofty character.
The composition shows rising mountains on the left juxtaposed by open space on the far right. Powerful brushstrokes and nuanced ink washes follow the style of the Southern Song (1127–1279) academy painters.
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Details
- Title: The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream
- Creator: Dai Jin (Chinese, 1388–1462)
- Date Created: 1400s
- Physical Dimensions: Painting: 138.2 x 75.2 cm (54 7/16 x 29 5/8 in.); Overall with knobs: 232.5 x 96.3 cm (91 9/16 x 37 15/16 in.)
- Provenance: Huang Lin 黄琳 [active about 1496–1532], (Yabumoto Shogoro 藪本莊五郎 [20th century], Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1974.45
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk
- Inscriptions: 5 seals: 1 of Huang Lin 黄琳 (active about 1496–1532); 4 unidentified.
- Fun Fact: When the emperor offered him a post overseeing the Nine Territories (as China was known in ancient times), Xu You went to the River Ying to cleanse his ears from such an unwelcome proposition.
- Department: Chinese Art
- Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
- Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
- Accession Number: 1974.45
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