The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 7, 2026

A hanging scroll features a vertical column of seven large, black inked Chinese characters on cream paper. The fluid brushstrokes streak down the page, with ink occasionally fading out. To the left, a shorter inscription of three smaller characters sits above two red, square seals. The work is mounted on a long, pale gold fabric scroll decorated with a subtle, shimmering pattern.

Calligraphy couplet

after 1939

Wu Hufan

(Chinese, 1894–1968)
China
One of a pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper
Overall: 174.6 x 39.4 cm (68 3/4 x 15 1/2 in.); calligraphy: 129.5 x 31.4 cm (51 x 12 3/8 in.)
Gift of the Gracious Pine Studio Collection 2025.191.a
Location: 240A Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy

Did You Know?

A calligraphy couplet (duilian) was typically hung at the sides of a door or on pillars in the house.

Description

Wu Hufan was one of the most important artists, collectors, and connoisseurs of his time, active in Shanghai. The CMA owns at least 6 works that were inscribed by Wu Hufan and many more that bear his collector seals. Here he writes a couplet in his typical swift and delicate script style, referring to a paradise land where immortals dwell.
  • 1980s–2025
    Gracious Pine Studio collection, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2025–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Plum Scenery Studio: Wu Hufan and His Circle in Modern Shanghai. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 31-November 8, 2026).
  • {{cite web|title=Calligraphy couplet|url=false|author=Wu Hufan|year=after 1939|access-date=07 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.191.a