Woodcutter and Hermit, from the album Figures in Settings
Artist/Maker
Zhāng Hóng 张宏 / 張宏
(Chinese, 1577–1668)
Date1649
MediumAlbum leaf, ink and color on silk
DimensionsImage: 25 × 8 in. (63.5 × 20.3 cm)
Mount: 14 5/8 × 9 9/16 in. (37.1 × 24.3 cm)
Mount: 14 5/8 × 9 9/16 in. (37.1 × 24.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Carol S. Brooks in honor of her father, George J. Schlenker, and R. T. Miller Jr. Fund
PortfolioFigures in Settings
Object number1997.29.14D
Status
Not on viewTitle inscription: 樵隱
Two humbly dressed figures make their way down a narrow path, carrying bundles of twigs for firewood. The artist skillfully suggests the setting with a few simple strokes that reveal a cliff on one side and a small stream on the other. The figures themselves are more naturalistically rendered, with straw sandals and tattered clothes, hunched over with the weight of their loads.
This painting probably illustrates a line in a poem by the Southern Song dynasty poet Xiè Língyùn 謝靈運 (385–433), a nobleman who wrote many evocative poems about nature and his experiences on his vast family estate. A line in the poem reads “The woodcutter and hermit accompany one another in the mountains.” *
*〈田南樹園激流植楥〉：「樵隱俱在山」
ProvenanceDr. George J. Schlenker, Piedmont, California ¹ ² ³; by descent to Carol S. Brooks, Alameda, CA ⁴; by partial gift and purchase 1997 to Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH
Notes:
[1] Identifying the two collector's seals will help to determine prior history
[2] Selected and purchased by James Cahill, Professor of Art History, University of California, Berkeley, on behalf of his step-father George J. Schlenker
[3] Stored at the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, where it was exhibited and used as a teaching aid by Professor James Cahill
[4] Daughter of George J. SchlenkerExhibition History
Two humbly dressed figures make their way down a narrow path, carrying bundles of twigs for firewood. The artist skillfully suggests the setting with a few simple strokes that reveal a cliff on one side and a small stream on the other. The figures themselves are more naturalistically rendered, with straw sandals and tattered clothes, hunched over with the weight of their loads.
This painting probably illustrates a line in a poem by the Southern Song dynasty poet Xiè Língyùn 謝靈運 (385–433), a nobleman who wrote many evocative poems about nature and his experiences on his vast family estate. A line in the poem reads “The woodcutter and hermit accompany one another in the mountains.” *
*〈田南樹園激流植楥〉：「樵隱俱在山」
A Century of Asian Art at Oberlin: Chinese Paintings
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (June 6, 2017 - December 10, 2017 )
Collections
- Asian
The AMAM continually researches its collection and updates its records with new findings.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
