Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009397Pure Tones among Hills and Waters
by Xiao Yuncong
Also known as: Pure Tones among Hills and Waters 山水清音圖
About the Artwork
Painted at age 68, this landscape is one of Xiao Yuncong’s most mature works. Extraordinary in its combination of fine details with bold brushstrokes and bluish washes, it is also one of his longest compositions in handscroll format, extending over 23 feet. Throughout his lifetime, Xiao visited Nanjing and Yangzhou, where he met with other painters and literati. Regarded as the founder of the Gushu school (姑孰派) of painting, Xiao painted from nature, and his landscapes are informed by his travels, as well as by his experience as a print designer.
Inscriptions
種松發秀色，具是高人心。 鑿石築茅屋，長年覆綠陰。 白雲無意出，舒卷趨空林。 萬籟時一寂，微風墮清音。 此情莫可擬，此景誰能論。 只向千峰裏，共彈五絃琴。 桃花依綠水，不覺又春深。 甲辰花朝題于青蓮閣, 鐘山老人蕭雲從。[印] 鐘山老人; Title and inscription, dated 1744, and 3 seals of Shen Feng 沈鳳 (1685–1755).; 4 colophons and 24 additional seals: 1 colophon, dated 1811, and 5 seals of Xiang Yuan 項源 (active about 1811); 1 colophon, dated 1858, and 2 seals of Qi Junzao 祁寯藻 (1793–1866); 1 colophon and 4 seals of Zhang Yunzhong 張允中 (1881–1960?); 4 seals of Jiang Xun 江恂 (active about 1753–after 1780); 1 colophon dated 1943, and 2 seals of Wang Shaoming 汪兆銘 (Wang Jingwei 汪精衛, 1883–1944); 1 seal of Qi Zhiliu 祁之鏐 (active about 1858); 2 seals of Yu Zhimeng 俞芷盟 (second half of 19th century); 4 seals unidentified.
Provenance
Jiang Xun 江恂 [active about 1753–after 1780] Xiang Yuan 項源 [active about 1811] Qi Zhiliu 祁之鏐 [active about 1858] Yu Zhimeng 俞芷盟 [second half of 19th century] Wu Changshou 吳昌綬 [1867–1924] Zhang Yunzhong 張允中 [1881–1960?] Wang Shaoming 汪兆銘 [Wang Jingwei 汪精衛, 1883–1944] ?–1954: (Walter Hochstadter [1914–2007], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1954–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Chinese Landscape Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5-December 26, 1954). 1000 Jahre Chinesische Malerei. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Mùnich, Germany (organizer) (October 16-December 13, 1959). Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982). Mountains, Rocks, and Water: Landscape Painting in Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 2-December 13, 1987). Inspired by Chinese Landscape and Art – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 14, 2017-February 5, 2018). When Salt was Gold: Yangzhou, City of Riches and Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 12-November 5, 2023).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Xiao Yuncong (Chinese, 1596–1673)
- Date
- 1664
- Medium
- Handscroll; ink and light color on paper
- Dimensions
- Painting: 31 x 781.6 cm (12 3/16 x 307 11/16 in.); Overall: 34 x 1194.8 cm (13 3/8 x 470 3/8 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1954.262
More by Xiao Yuncong in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009397
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