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Lone fisherman on a boat

Mao Qiling Chinese
late 17th–early 18th century
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
The figure of the solitary boatman angling on a river was one of the most potent symbols of reclusion in premodern China. Beneath towering trees and backed by misty mountains, the gentleman relinquishes the cares of the dusty world and becomes one with the river and its ceaseless flow. Painted in broad, wet washes by Mao Qiling, a prominent scholar of the early Qing period (1662–1722), this image captures the theme of the fisherman-hermit and the joys of the river.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 清 毛奇齡 松陵漁隱圖 軸
  • Title: Lone fisherman on a boat
  • Artist: Mao Qiling (Chinese, 1623–1716)
  • Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
  • Date: late 17th–early 18th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 25 × 14 in. (63.5 × 35.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Promised Gift of Julia and John Curtis, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary
  • Object Number: L.2020.10.11
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art