
Collection Online as of April 2, 2023
(Chinese, 1200s)
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Image: 25 x 26.7 cm (9 13/16 x 10 1/2 in.); with mat: 33.3 x 40.5 cm (13 1/8 x 15 15/16 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1960.41
not on view
Li You included such tiny details as circular patterns of hair on the buffalo’s hindquarters.
This round fan painting by Li You depicts a rustic theme. His rendering of the scene was bold, exquisite, and detailed. In such a small format, Li took care to portray the warm relationship between cow and calf. In a small space under the tree, he shows an indifferent herder, who turns away from his charges to focus on a small falcon, which obviously was more compelling to him.