The Second Coming of the Fifth Patriarch

About the Artwork

A small boy, accompanied by his mother, is closing his hands in greeting to an old monk who has a young attendant standing behind him. Scholars believe the scene is a meeting between the fourth patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Daoxin 道信, and the little boy, who was the reincarnation of an old monk named Zaisong daozhe 栽松道者 (Pine Planter). They had encountered before, during which Daoxin advised the Pine Planter to endure a reincarnation as he was too old to reach enlightenment. This painting is done by Yintuoluo, an artist renowned for his simple and unadorned style.

Inscriptions

[印] 人言洞裡桃花源，未必人間有此枝; 此子無爺只有娘，禪師莫問幾時生。青松未老黃梅飄，兩世都如夢一場。 [印] 楚石

Exhibition history

Year in Review for 1968. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 29-March 9, 1969). 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). Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992).

Quick Overview

Artist: Yintuoluo (Chinese, c. 1285-c. 1355)
Date: c. mid-1300s
Medium: section of a handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll, ink on paper
Dimensions: Image: 32.7 x 44.6 cm (12 7/8 x 17 9/16 in.); Overall: 245 x 62 cm (96 7/16 x 24 7/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession no.: 1967.211

Provenance

?–1938: Masuda Takashi 益田孝 [1848–1938], Tokyo, Japan, by bequest to his son Masuda Taro Masuda Taro 益田太郎 [1875–1953], Tokyo, Japan ?–1967: (Setsu Gatodo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1967–: 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.