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Mountain Retreat
Mountain Retreat

Mountain Retreat

Artist (Chinese, 1632 - 1717)
Date1706
DynastyQing dynasty (1644-1911), Reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722)
MaterialsInk on paper
DimensionsH. 6 1/2 in x W. 19 3/8 in, H. 16.5 cm x W. 49.3 cm (image); H. 13 in x W. 24 in, H. 33 cm x W. 61 cm (overall)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object numberB79D13
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on view
InscribedWhen I lean against the tree in front of the eaves, I can see, in the distance, a village above the source. Painted for my
MarkingsGengyan sanren Wang Hui
More Information
In this painting, a few men inhabit retreat dwellings along winding riverbanks. The artist Wang Hui, who declined a court appointment in favor of a life of freedom in his hometown, is said to have craved the kind of secluded life depicted here. This fan was a farewell present from the artist to a friend who was going away. Wang chose to set faraway villages on long, meandering embankments in remote sites to convey his profound, complex feelings for a friendship that would now become distant.