The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight

Also known as: The Poet Lin P'u Wandering in the Moonlight

About the Artwork

Lin Bu (967–1028), a Northern Song (960–1127) poet and hermit who lived at the West Lake in Hangzhou, was known for having plum trees for his female companions and cranes for his children. This hanging scroll depicts the poet walking in the moonlight and looking at the plum tree, a scene described in his most well-known poem on plum blossoms. Surviving works signed by Du Jin are rare and this painting is one of them. Here, the artist used lively brushwork to depict the plum tree and rocks, exemplified in varying dots and strokes, and sweeps in different shades of ink.

Inscriptions

陪月閒行杖屨遲，半醒時節更相宜。吟成疏影寒香句，為問梅花知不知。檉居杜堇 [印]一書生; 1 seal of Zhang Heng 張珩 (1915–1963); 1 seal of C. C. Wang [Wang Jiqian] 王季遷 (1907–2003); 1 unidentified seal

Exhibition history

Chinese Landscape Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5-December 26, 1954). Arts of China. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London, CT (organizer) (October 30-December 4, 1955). Art: The International Language. The Cleveland Museum of Art (October 2-November 4, 1956). 1000 Jahre Chinesische Malerei. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Mùnich, Germany (organizer) (October 16-December 13, 1959). 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 Chinese Painter as Poet. China Institute in America, New York, NY (organizer) (September 14-December 17, 2000). Ji Yun-Fei: Last Days of Village Wen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-July 31, 2016). Escaping to a Better World: Eccentrics and Immortals in Chinese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 13-November 6, 2022).

Quick Overview

Artist: Du Jin (Chinese, 1446–c. 1519)
Date: late 1400s
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 156.4 x 72.4 cm (61 9/16 x 28 1/2 in.); Overall with knobs: 286.4 x 99 cm (112 3/4 x 39 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 1954.582

Provenance

Zhang Congyu, Shanghai, China Zhang Heng 張珩 [1915–1963] ?–1954: (C. C. Wang 王季遷 [1907–2003], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1954–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.