During the chaotic years following the collapse of the Tang dynasty in 907, centralized rule was shattered and China splintered into a number of short-lived kingdoms. Among the most important of these was the Southern Tang dynasty (937–75), which governed much of the lower Yangzi River delta from its capital at Nanjing. It was there that a distinctive “southern” style of landscape painting developed under the court official and artist Dong Yuan.
Riverbank epitomizes Dong Yuan’s new style, with its absence of contour lines and use of subtle ink washes and soft-rubbed texture strokes to describe the distinctive rounded hills and earthen slopes of southeastern China. The depiction of a scholar-hermit living in elegant reclusion likewise established a lasting thematic ideal. Darkened with age, the scroll, the tallest of all surviving early Chinese landscape paintings, marks the majestic inception of the monumental landscape tradition.
The scroll was split in two along its vertical seam during the fourteenth century. The left-hand side of the composition, with its tall foreground trees backed by an impenetrable screen of thrusting and twisting mountain forms, inspired a major revival of the Dong Yuan style among scholar-artists of the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368).
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Artwork Details
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五代 傳董元 溪岸圖 軸
Title:Riverbank
Artist:Attributed to Dong Yuan (Chinese, active 930s–960s)
Period:Southern Tang dynasty (937–76)
Culture:China
Medium:Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:Image: 86 3/4 × 43 in. (220.3 × 109.2 cm) Overall with mounting: 11 ft. 1/2 in. × 48 in. (336.6 × 121.9 cm) Overall with knobs: 11 ft. 1/2 in. × 53 in. (336.6 × 134.6 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Ex coll.: C. C. Wang Family, Gift of Oscar L. Tang Family, in memory of Douglas Dillon, 2016
Object Number:2016.750
Inscription: Artist's inscription and signature (1 column in standard script)
Painted by the Assistant Administrator of the Rear Park, Servitor Dong [Yuan]
Wang Jiqian 王季遷 (己千，C. C. Wang, 1907–2003) 王季遷海外所見名跡 (twice) 季遷心賞
Unidentified: 1
Chang Dai-chien Chinese; C. C. Wang Family , New York (until 1997; sold to Tang); Oscar L. Tang Family , New York (1997– 2016; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The New Chinese Galleries: An Inaugural Installation," 1997.
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New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Millennium of Chinese Painting: Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection," September 8, 2001–January 13, 2002.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cultivated Landscapes: Reflections of Nature in Chinese Painting with Selections from the Collection of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill," September 10, 2002–February 9, 2003.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Douglas Dillon Legacy: Chinese Painting for the Metropolitan Museum," March 12–August 8, 2004.
National Palace Museum. "Grand View: Painting and Calligraphy of the Northern Sung," July 1, 2006–September 25, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Landscapes Clear and Radiant: The Art of Wang Hui (1632–1717)," September 9, 2008–January 4, 2009.
Shanghai Museum. "Masterpieces of Chinese Tang, Song and Yuan Paintings from America," November 3, 2012–January 3, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Metropolitan Collection (Rotation Two)," May 7–October 11, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Up Close," January 25, 2020–June 27, 2021.
Yang, Kathleen. "Riverbank: Its Provenance and Original Name." Orientations 48, no. 4 (July/August 2017). pp. 60–67, figs. 1a–j.
Guo Wei 郭威, ed. Dafeng Tang mingji 大風堂名蹟 (Masterpieces from the collection of the Dafeng Tang Studio) [Taipei?]: Yayun Tang, 1954, vol. 4, pl. 1.
Xie Zhiliu 謝稚柳. Tang, Wudai, Song, Yuan mingji(Famous paintings of the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan periods) 唐五代宋元名跡. Shanghai: Gudian wenxue chubanshe, 1957, pl. 2.
Loehr, Max. Chinese Landscape Woodcuts; from an Imperial Commentary to the Tenth-century Printed Edition of the Buddhist Canon. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, 1968, pp. 52–53.
Richard M. Barnhart 班宗華, Iriya Yoshitaka 入矢義高, and Nakata Yūjirō 中田勇次郎. Tō Gen, Kyonen 董源・巨然 (Dong Yuan, Juran). Vol. 2 of of Bunjin-ga suihen 文人畫粹編 (Selected masterpieces of literati painting), edited by Ishikawa Jun 石川淳. Bunjin ga shuihen dai 2-kan, vol. 2, Tokyo: Chūō Kōronsha, 1977, pls. 2–3.
Cahill, James. An Index of Early Chinese Painters and Paintings: T'ang, Sung, and Yüan. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980.
Loehr, Max. The Great Painters of China. New York: Harper & Row, 1980, pp. 113–14, 130, fig. 54.
Suzuki Kei 鈴木敬, ed. Chûgoku kaiga sogo zuroku: Daiikan, Amerika-Kanada Hen 中國繪畫總合圖錄: 第一卷 アメリカ - カナダ 編 (Comprehensive illustrated catalog of Chinese paintings: vol. 1 American and Canadian collections) Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1982, p. 90, cat. no. A14-001.
Barnhart, Richard M. Along the Border of Heaven: Sung and Yüan Paintings from the C. C. Wang Family Collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1983, pp. 28–33; 153, 179, figs. 1–3, 72.
Xie Zhiliu 謝稚柳. Dong Yuan Juran he ji 董源巨然合集 (Collected works of Dong Yuan and Juran) Shanghai: Shanghai renmin meishu chubanshe, 1984, pp. 7–8.
Shanghai renmin meishu chubanshe. "Xi’an tu 溪岸圖" (Riverbank). Yiyuan duoying 藝苑掇英 28 (1988) Vol. 38, p. 1.
Cahill, James. "Authenticity Issues Re-emerge in Chinese Painting Studies." Lotus Leaves I (Fall 1997). pp. 4–6.
Ding Xiyuan 丁羲元. "Xie Zhiliu shuo: Xi'an tu yuan shi Xu Beihong de 谢稚柳说：溪岸图原是徐悲鸿的" (Xie Zhiliu said: The Riverbank originally belonged to Xu Beihong). Yishu xinwen 艺术新闻, October 1997. p. 74.
Dobrzynski, Judith H. "11 Major Chinese Paintings Promised to Met." The New York Times, May 19, 1997, National edition. p. A1, col. 13 https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/19/arts/11-major-chinese-paintings-promised-to-met.html.
Feng Youheng 冯幼衡. "Xi'an tu de zai sikao 溪岸图的再思考" (Further Thoughts on The Riverbank). Yishu xinwen 艺术新闻, December 1997. pp. 88–89.
Fu C. Y. Shen 傅申. "Bian Dong Yuan Xi'an tu jue fei Zhang Daqian weizuo 辯董源溪岸圖絕非張大千僞作" (Dong Yuan's Riverbank is definitely not a forgery by Zhang Daqian). Yishujia 藝術家 269 (1997) pp. 256–57.
Hearn, Maxwell K. "The Changing Face of Narrative in Early Chinese Painting: Three Milestones from the Metropolitan Museum." Orientations 28, no. 11 (December 1997). pp. 20–29, figs. 9–10.
Huang Junshi (or Wong, Kwan S.) 黄君实. "Wo kan Xi'an tu 我看溪岸图" (My opinion on the Riverbank). Yishu xinwen 艺术新闻, October 1997. p. 73.
Nagin, Carl. "The Met Has Just Acquired the ‘Mona Lisa’ of China. But Is It a Fake?" The New Yorker, August 11, 1997. pp. 26–27.
Shih Shou-ch’ien (or Shi Shouqian) 石守谦. "Guanyu Xi'an tu niandai yu zuozhe wenti zhi wojian关于溪岸图年代与作者问题之我见" (My opinion on the date and authorship of The Riverbank). Yishu xinwen 艺术新闻, December 1997. pp. 82–87.
Zhou Haisheng 周海圣. "Yang Xin, Fu Shen qisheng shuo: Xi'an tu bushi Zhang Daqian huade 杨新、傅申齐声说：溪岸图不是张大千画的 (Yang Xin and Fu Shen both proclaimed: Riverbank was not painted by Zhang Daqian). Yishu xinwen 艺术新闻, October 1997. pp. 70–71.
Zhou Haisheng 周海圣. "Gao Juhan wei Xi'an tu xiele feng xin gei Wang Jiqian 高居翰为溪岸图写了封信给王季迁" (James Cahill wrote a letter to C. C. Wang regarding the Riverbank). Yishu xinwen 艺术新闻, October 1997. p. 72.
Richard M. Barnhart. "Letter to the Editor." Orientations 28, no. 11 (December 1998). p. 86.
Barnhart, Richard M. "Letter to the Editor." Orientations 29, no .8 (September 1998). p. 101.
Ding Xiyuan 丁羲元. "Du Xi'an tu 讀溪岸圖" (Reading Riverbank). Gugong Wenwu Yuekan 故宮文物月刊 (The National Palace Museum Monthly of Cultural Relics) no. 179 (February 1998) pp. 101–107.
Ding Xiyuan 丁羲元. "Tianxia diyi Dong Beiyuan; Zai du Xi'an tu 天下第一董北苑：再讀溪岸圖" (The Premier Dong Yuan under heaven: a further reading of Riverbank). Gugong Wenwu Yuekan 故宮文物月刊 (The National Palace Museum Monthly of Cultural Relics) no. 179 (December 1998) pp. 114–30.
Gaskin, Steven P. "Letter to the Editor." Orientations 28, no. 10 (November 1998). p. 75.
Lum, Kwong, and Jia Chen. "Accusations of Forgery: Who Painted ‘The Riverbank’ Attributed to Dong Yuan? The Recovery of the Tang Dynasty Painting: Master Wang Wei's Ink-Wash Creation ‘On the Wangchuan River’." International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 11, no. 3 (1998). pp. 439–49.
Nagin, Carl. "Letter to the Editor." Orientations 28, no. 6 (June 1998). p. 98.
Yang, Kathleen. "In Support of the Riverbank." Orientations 29, no. 7 (July-August 1998). pp. 36–42.
Doran, Valerie C. "C.C. Wang: The Artist as Collector." Orientations 30, no. 9 (November 1999). p. 76.
Hearn, Maxwell K., and Wen C. Fong. Along the Riverbank: Chinese Paintings from the C. C. Wang Family Collection. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999, pp. 2, 10–11, 73–74, pls. 1a–d.
Fong Wen C. 方聞. "Deconstructing Paradigms in Sung and Yuan Painting: Life after the Death of Mastering Representation." In "Deconstructing Paradigms in Sung and Yuan Painting: Life after the Death of Mastering Representation." In Kaichuang dianfan: Beisong de yishu yu wenhua yantaohui lunwenji 開創典範: 北宋的藝術與文化研討會論文集(Conference on Founding Paradigms: Papers on the art and culture of the Northern Song Dynasty), edited by Wang Yao-ting 王耀庭. Taipei: National Palace Museum, July 2008, pp. 9–39, figs. 4, 5, 7, 10, 11a, 12a.
Li Yu 李渝. "Anshang fengyun: Xi’an tu jianbie 岸上風雲：溪岸圖鑒別" (Storm over the Riverbank: backstage anecdotes surrounding the authentication of the Riverbank). Ink Literary Magazine 92 (April 2011) pp. 152–171.
Silbergeld, Jerome, and Dora C. Y. Ching, eds. The Family Model in Chinese Art and Culture. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, p. 276, figs. 1–2.
Ding Xiyuan 丁羲元. "Dong Yuan zhenji Xi’an tu zhi shoucang jianding ji qi renwu neihan 董元真迹《溪岸图》之收藏鉴定及其人物内涵" (Study on the collecting, authentication, and subject matter of Dong Yuan’s Riverbank). Zhonghua shu hua jia 中华书画家，May 2014. pp. 108–16.
Tan Shengguang 谈晟广. “Quqi yier, mo yi ziwan: cong Qian Xuan moben kan Dong Yuan Xi’an tu zai Yuan dai de liuchuan 取其一二，"摹以自玩：从钱选摹本看董元《溪岸图》在元代的流传" (Study on the transmission of Dong Yuan’s Riverbank in Yuan Dynasty through Qian Xuan’s copy). Diancang 典藏, April 2015. pp. 112–23.
Wu Guohao 吳國豪. "Xi’an moben, jingshi hengchu: (chuan) Dong Yuan Xi’an tu de faxian yu shoucangyin wenti 溪岸摹本，驚世橫出──（傳）董源〈溪岸圖〉摹本的發現與收藏印問題" (Study on the discovery of a copy of Dong Yuan’s Riverbank and its collectors’ seals). Diancang 典藏 April 2015. pp. 124–35.
Ma Chengming 马成名. "Husun hexu ren: cong chuan Dong Yuan Xi’an tu de yifang cangyin queren citu juefei Zhang Daqian suo wei 虎孙何许人：从传董源〈溪岸图〉的一方藏印确认此图绝非张大千所伪 (Who was Husun: The Riverbank attributed to Dong Yuan was not a Zhang Daqian forgery in view of the collector’s seal). Diancang 典藏, June 2017. pp. 166–69.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2016–2018." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 76, no. 2 (Fall 2018).
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