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The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream
by Dai Jin
Also known as: The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream 箕山高隱圖; The Hermit Hsü Yu Resting by a Stream
About the Artwork
Xu You, a recluse who refused the throne offered to him by legendary Emperor Yao, chose instead to farm on Mount Ji. Sitting under cliffs, his left arm resting on his risen leg and his loose robe revealing his belly, he displays a nonchalant attitude. Xu You is wearing a laborer’s outfit, a short robe and tight leggings, while his composed pose and gentle features reveal his lofty character. The composition shows rising mountains on the left juxtaposed by open space on the far right. Powerful brushstrokes and nuanced ink washes follow the style of the Southern Song (1127–1279) academy painters.
Inscriptions
5 seals: 1 of Huang Lin 黄琳 (active about 1496–1532); 4 unidentified.
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975). Chinese Paintings: Themes and Techniques. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 7-April 5, 1981). Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992). 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). 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
- Dai Jin (Chinese, 1388–1462)
- Date
- 1400s
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk
- Dimensions
- Painting: 138.2 x 75.2 cm (54 7/16 x 29 5/8 in.); Overall with knobs: 232.5 x 96.3 cm (91 9/16 x 37 15/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1974.45
Provenance
Huang Lin 黄琳 [active about 1496–1532] ?–1974: (Yabumoto Shogoro 藪本莊五郎 [20th century], Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1974–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
More by Dai Jin 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-00009465
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