Landscape: mountain and water; a figure under a plum tree

Historical period(s)
Joseon period or Ming dynasty, 16th-early 17th century
Medium
Ink on silk
Dimensions
H x W (painting): 103.2 × 54.8 cm (40 5/8 × 21 9/16 in)
Geography
Korea or China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1907.143
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)

Keywords
China, Joseon period (1392 - 1910), Korea, landscape, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), mountain, plum blossom, tree, water
Provenance

To 1907Unidentified owner, Tokyo, Japan, to 1907 [1]From 1907 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased in Tokyo, Japan, from an unidentified owner in spring of 1907 [2]From 1920Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:[1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 546, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.[2] See note 1. [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

The theme of a scholar gazing into a mist-laden landscape reflects the influence of Chinese artists such as Ma Yuan and Hsia Kuei, who were active during the Southern Sung period  (1127-1279). However, the attenuated composition, the dramatic contrast of light and dark ink washes and the bold faceting of the mountain peaks are features more closely related to the conservative Che School traditions that developed during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The Korean artist intrepreted the earlier Chinese traditions as a suitable way to display his own technical ability.

Published References

"Selon les ecritures." Kim En Joong. France. .Ann Yonemura. Korean Art in Western Collections, 5: Korean Art in the Freer Gallery of Art. vol. 4, no. 2 Los Angeles, June 1983. pp. 4-15, fig. 2, pl. 14.Thomas Lawton Linda Merrill. Freer: a legacy of art. Washington and New York, 1993. p. 232, fig. 164.

Collection Area(s)
Korean Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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