Artwork Page for Herdboys and Buffalo in Landscape

Details / Information for Herdboys and Buffalo in Landscape

Herdboys and Buffalo in Landscape

牧牛圖

1200s

Guo Min 郭敏

(Chinese, mid-late 1200s)
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Culture
China, Qixian, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Measurements
Image: 92 x 56.5 cm (36 1/4 x 22 1/4 in.); Overall with knobs: 196 x 76 cm (77 3/16 x 29 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1999.216.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Tending water buffalos has traditionally been the task of young boys and can still be seen in rural areas of Southern China today.

Description

Herdboys tend their buffalo in a bucolic landscape by a winding stream. Guo Min emphasizes the massive forms and mighty power of the animals, transforming them into forces of nature.

The poem on this scroll reads: "The bulls are engaging in fighting, Cautiously, each seeks to overcome the other. The herdboy calmly stands by. Untying his belt, he silently watches."
A hanging scroll in black ink on silk depicts two water buffalo with their heads pressed together in the lower foreground. Above them, a gnarled tree with spindly, leafless branches grows from a pale slope where a small figure stands. The monochromatic composition features muted brown tones and fine dark outlines. Vertical columns of Chinese calligraphy and red seals appear in the upper right corner (see "Inscriptions").

Herdboys and Buffalo in Landscape

1200s

Guo Min

(Chinese, mid-late 1200s)
China, Qixian, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

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