River Hamlet

Unidentified artist

Not on view

A rustic dwelling sits by a broad expanse of river. Having just moored his boat at the water’s edge, a weary fisherman makes his way up the slope to his humble thatch-roofed home. To depict the freshly fallen snow that blankets the riverbank, the painter has left rocks and earth unpainted and filled in the sky and water with light washes of ink, an inversion of typical ink-painting practice. The scene is still and tranquil—an encapsulation of the river’s role in Chinese art as a symbol of the good, simple life.

River Hamlet, Unidentified artist Chinese, 12th–13th century, Fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on silk, China

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