Artwork Page for Cloud-Climbing Pavilion, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Details / Information for Cloud-Climbing Pavilion, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Series Title: 虎丘十二景圖

Cloud-Climbing Pavilion, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

after 1490

Shen Zhou 沈周

(Chinese, 1427–1509)
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Culture
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Medium
Album leaf; ink on paper or ink and slight color on paper
Measurements
Image: 31.6 x 40.5 cm (12 7/16 x 15 15/16 in.); Overall: 36.5 x 49.9 cm (14 3/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1964.371.12
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Views of Tiger Hill depicts a historic site a few miles northwest of Suzhou. The scenes simulate a visit from arriving by boat at the foot of the mountain to climbing to Cloudy Cliff Monastery. Representations of the artist’s mature style, Shen Zhou included views in subtle colors in the suite of monochrome scenes.

A Suzhou native, Shen Zhou was supported by family wealth and rejected an official career in favor of life as a retired scholar. Turning to painting in midlife, he is regarded as the founder of the Wu School of painting, with its center in Suzhou.
A horizontally oriented ink painting on paper depicts a landscape of hillside buildings. On the left, tiered pavilions rise above dwellings and trees rendered with dark, splotchy dashes. Stone staircases descend the slope toward the water. To the right, a rocky ridge with spindly pines meets a pale river wash. Two narrow boats rest near the shore, while two red seals mark the bottom right corner.

Cloud-Climbing Pavilion, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

after 1490

Shen Zhou

(Chinese, 1427–1509)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

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