The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 24, 2024

The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream

The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream

1400s
(Chinese, 1388–1462)
Painting: 138.2 x 75.2 cm (54 7/16 x 29 5/8 in.); Overall with knobs: 232.5 x 96.3 cm (91 9/16 x 37 15/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

When the emperor offered him a post overseeing the Nine Territories (as China was known in ancient times), Xu You went to the River Ying to cleanse his ears from such an unwelcome proposition.

Description

Xu You, a recluse who refused the throne offered to him by legendary Emperor Yao, chose instead to farm on Mount Ji. Sitting under cliffs, his left arm resting on his risen leg and his loose robe revealing his belly, he displays a nonchalant attitude. Xu You is wearing a laborer’s outfit, a short robe and tight leggings, while his composed pose and gentle features reveal his lofty character.

The composition shows rising mountains on the left juxtaposed by open space on the far right. Powerful brushstrokes and nuanced ink washes follow the style of the Southern Song (1127–1279) academy painters.
  • Huang Lin 黄琳 [active about 1496–1532]
    ?–1974
    (Yabumoto Shogoro 藪本莊五郎 [20th century], Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1974–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “Early Ming Painting at the Imperial Court.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 62, no. 8, 1975, pp. 243–259. Reproduced: figs. 8 and 9, pp. 249-250 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 348 archive.org
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  • {{cite web|title=The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream|url=false|author=Dai Jin|year=1400s|access-date=24 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1974.45