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Scholar Reclining and Watching Rising Clouds; Poem by Wang Wei
by Ma Lin
About the Artwork
Poem and painting, once mounted together as one fan, exemplify the collaboration between imperial patron and court painter. Emperor Lizong’s calligraphy cites a verse from Wang Wei’s (701–761) poem, Walking to where the water ends, I sit and watch when clouds arise. Ma Lin’s response is this painting. At the water’s edge, a scholar reclines by a large rock. The view leads across the empty middle ground to a distant mountain. With sparse ink and subtly graded washes, Ma Lin visualizes the poetic verse. The painting suggests the impact of Chan aesthetics through interaction between the palace, literati-officials, and monasteries around Hangzhou.
Inscriptions
Inscription for 1961.421.1: Artist's signature: 臣馬麟 Your servant, Ma Lin. 2 seals on mounting of Chu Sheng-chai (20th c.).; Inscription for 1961.421.2: The 2 lines of poetry from right to left read: "I walk unto where waters end And sit down to watch when clouds arise."; Seals and Inscription for 1961.421.2: The top gourd-shaped seal has the cyclical date "bingchen" (丙辰 1256); the lower square seal is the Seal for Imperial Calligraphy. The inscription between the two imperial seals reads, "Presented to Chung-kuei".; Seals and Inscription on facing leaf for 1961.421.2: Inscription by Zhang Daqian (1899–1983). 1 seal of Chu Sheng-chai (20th Century) remounted onto the facing leaf to the left of the square calligraphy.
Provenance
?–1961: (Nagatani, Inc., Chicago, IL, sold the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1961–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962). Tea Taste in Japanese Art. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (February 20-April 21, 1963). Wang Chi-ch'ien, Album Leaves from the Sung and Yuan Dynasties. China House Gallery (organizer) (March 26-May 30, 1970). The Colors of Ink. Asia House Galleries (January 10-March 3, 1974); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-May 12, 1974). Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 11-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982). Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982). Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992). Fans: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 15, 1992-March 7, 1993). West Lake and the Mapping of Southern Song Art. China Institute in America, New York, NY (organizer) (September 13-December 9, 2001). Power and Possession: Chinese Calligraphy and Inscribed Objects – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 13, 2018-February 3, 2019). China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Ma Lin (Chinese, c. 1185–after 1260)
- Date
- c. 1256
- Medium
- Album leaf; ink on silk
- Dimensions
- Image: 25.1 x 25.3 cm (9 7/8 x 9 15/16 in.); with mat: 33.3 x 40.5 cm (13 1/8 x 15 15/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1961.421
More by Ma Lin in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009333
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