Artwork Page for The Fool's Spring, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Details / Information for The Fool's Spring, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

Series Title: 虎丘十二景圖

The Fool's Spring, 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: 31.7 x 41.1 cm (12 1/2 x 16 3/16 in.); Overall: 36.5 x 49.9 cm (14 3/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1964.371.2
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 gnarled tree with exposed roots clinging to a rocky hill, its canopy of dark, textured leaves filling the upper background. Below, a striped path winds horizontally through the foreground. Three figures in robes occupy the lower frame: one walks right, while two stand beside a circular well. Varied gray washes define the craggy landscape, accented by a small red seal in the corner.

The Fool's Spring, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

after 1490

Shen Zhou

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

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