Artwork Page for Poet Fisherman

Details / Information for Poet Fisherman

Poet Fisherman

장지화 어부사 [張志和漁父詞]

1800s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392–1910)
Medium
album leaf from a set; ink and color on silk
Measurements
Overall: 22.5 x 24 cm (8 7/8 x 9 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1990.70
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The lid that covers a tall crackle-patterned jar is a large lotus leaf.

Description

This album leaf depicts the 8th-century Chinese official and Daoist scholar Zhang Zhihe sitting on a raft buffeted by waves. He drinks wine from a small cup, and gazes up at a crane flying above him. Behind him are two large jars, one covered with an overturned lotus leaf. The handle of a ladle emerges from the other. His fishing rod is balanced at his side, but its line is twisted uselessly. Based on its iconography, the painting is likely modeled after an image from an illustrated woodblock edition of the Chinese text Liexian Zuan (Biographies of Exemplary Immortals).

The biographical inscription above him reads, "he is a recluse among the rivers and lakes. He calls himself ‘Fishing Disciple Amidst Mists and Waves.’ He is always fishing without bait for Zhi has no need for fish." A rectangular seal in relief appears to the right of the inscription, while a square seal in relief appears to the left. Neither is legible.
A horizontal silk painting in ink and color features a man in a pink robe and black cap reclining on a woven mat. Holding a cup, he floats on rippling waves and gazes at a crane in flight. To the right, ceramic jars sit near tall reeds, while a fishing rod extends leftward. Dark calligraphy and red seals accent the upper right. Fine brushwork defines the scene against the fabric's warm, aged texture.

Poet Fisherman

1800s

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

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