The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 27, 2024

Tao Yuanming's Return Home

Tao Yuanming's Return Home

1300s
Image: 34.6 x 566.4 cm (13 5/8 x 223 in.); Overall: 37.7 x 1001.1 cm (14 13/16 x 394 1/8 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Poet Tao Yuanming 陶淵明 (c. 365–427 CE) returned to a secluded life instead of pursuing a civil service career.

Description

Tao Yuanming's revered poem "Return Home 歸去來辭 (Gui qu lai ci)" powerfully conveys his desire to leave bureaucratic life for the simplicity and authenticity of nature. This sentiment has deeply resonated with generations of Chinese scholars, making it a popular theme in paintings.

This handscroll uses continuous narrative depicting Tao in multiple scenes from the poem. Starting on the right, the poet travels to his home. His children wait by the gate, while his wife pauses to tidy her hair before welcoming him. Then, free from the burdens of official service, Tao spends time in both nature and his cottage, where he can again enjoy wine, music, and books.
  • ?–1982
    (Frank Caro [1904–1980], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1982–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Harrist, Robert E. "Watching Clouds Rise: A Tang Dynasty Couplet and Its Illustration in Song Painting." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 78, no. 7 (November 1991): 301–323. Mentioned: p. 322, p. 311 www.jstor.org
    Wilson, J. Keith. "The Fine Art of Drinking: The Chinese Silversmith Zhu Bishan and His Sculptural Cups." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 81, no. 10 (December 1994): 380–401. Reproduced: p. 395; Mentioned: p. 395, 401 www.jstor.org
    Tōyō kaiga no seika: tokubetsuten: Kurīvurando Bijutsukan no korekushon kara [東洋絵画の精華 : 特别展 : クリーヴラント美術館のコレクションから = Highlights of Asian painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art]. Nara, Japan: Nara National Museum, 1998. Reproduced: p. 52, cat. no. 29
    Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. Reproduced: pp. 168–173
  • Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 120). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 26, 2003-March 11, 2004)
    Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998).
    The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983).
  • {{cite web|title=Tao Yuanming's Return Home|url=false|author=|year=1300s|access-date=27 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.152