Pine Wind from Myriad Villages

About the Artwork

Wu Li, a native of Jiangsu province, was a talented painter, poet, and calligrapher. He studied painting with Wang Jian (1598–1677) and Wang Shimin (1592–1680), two of the “Four Wangs,” leaders of the Orthodox school of painting in the early Qing period. Through them, he also absorbed styles of earlier Ming dynasty masters. Wu was highly praised by his contemporaries and his paintings were in demand, but his interest in philosophy and religion curtailed his painting activities later in life. Wu Li converted to Christianity and in 1688 was ordained as one of the first 3 Chinese Jesuit priests. He spent the final 30 years of his life primarily in missionary work with the poor. Although this painting is undated, the sooty blackness of the ink tones and the easy self-confidence with which they are set down on paper echo recognized late works.

Inscriptions

Artist's title, signature, and 2 seals: Pine Wind from Myriad Valleys. Mojing daoren Wu Li.[seals] Mojing daoren; Wu Li; 5 additional seals: 2 of Fang Guancheng 方觀承 (1698–1768); 1 of Ma Chi-tso (1900s); 2 unidentified.; Two seals of the Qianlong emperor [r. 1736–95], probably authentic, were believed spurious and removed by a previous owner.

Provenance

Ma Chi-tso [1900s] ?–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).

Quick Overview

Artist: Wu Li (Chinese, 1632–1718)
Date: late 1600s–1718
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 109.5 x 25.9 cm (43 1/8 x 10 3/16 in.); Overall: 207 x 44.9 cm (81 1/2 x 17 11/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 1954.584

More by Wu Li in museum collections

Travelers among Streams and Mountains
Wu Li
probably 1670s · Painting
Public collection via the Metropolitan Museum of ArtAT-00014121
Whiling Away the Summer at the Ink-Well Thatched Hut
Wu Li
1679 · Painting
Public collection via the Metropolitan Museum of ArtAT-00014300

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