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Spring Morning in the Mountains

Xie Shichen Chinese
Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Not on view
The paintings of Xie Shichen share features with both those of the Zhe-school professionals and those of the Suzhou scholar-artists. His "hemp-fiber" texture strokes and dark foliage dots derive from the work of the eminent Suzhou amateur Shen Zhou (1427–1509), but his monumental compositions, narrative subject matter, and bold brushwork owe more to the Nanjing professional Wu Wei (1459–1508).

In this painting, a pair of scholars on a spring outing have paused to admire a blossoming plum tree that grows beneath the sheltering branches of an ancient pine. The nearby mountain torrent flows out of a deep valley, where dense white clouds obscure the lower halves of precipitous peaks, including the towering central monolith whose position along the painting's vertical axis serves as an anchor to the entire composition. To the left of the peak, Xie inscribed a seven-character quatrain along with his signature.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 明 謝時臣 谿山春曉圖 軸
  • Title: Spring Morning in the Mountains
  • Artist: Xie Shichen (Chinese, 1487–ca. 1567)
  • Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
  • Dimensions: Image: 76 1/8 × 41 1/4 in. (193.4 × 104.8 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 9 ft. 4 3/4 in. × 42 9/16 in. (286.4 × 108.1 cm)
    Overall with knobs: 9 ft. 4 3/4 in. × 46 3/8 in. (286.4 × 117.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of John N. Loomis, 1991
  • Object Number: 1991.342
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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Landscapes of the Four Seasons, Xie Shichen Chinese, Set of four hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper, China
Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Xie Shichen
dated 1560
Dung-Chen, Brass, copper, cloisonné, Chinese
Dung-Chen
Chinese
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Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara, Unidentified artist, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk, Korea
Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara
Unidentified artist
14th century
Spring Landscape with Plum Blossoms, Scholar and Deer, Xie Shichen Chinese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, China
Spring Landscape with Plum Blossoms, Scholar and Deer
Xie Shichen
dated 1548
Pipa (琵琶 ), Wood, ivory, bone, silk, Chinese
Pipa (琵琶 )
Chinese
late 16th–early 17th century

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