Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009657About the Artwork
Min Zhen, who was orphaned at age 12 and developed an eccentric personality, was trained by Tang Yin (1682–1756), a writer, playwright, and superintendent of the imperial porcelain workshops in Jingdezhen. The connection to him may have enabled Min to stay in Beijing for a decade from around 1773. It is not clear whether he ever resided in Yangzhou, but his style is in many instances reminiscent of that of Yangzhou artist Huang Shen. This album demonstrates Min’s versatility and mature style in the last years of his life.
Inscriptions
Inscription by Min Chen on the last leaf: I have a habit of collecting strange rocks. My friend Tai-li shan-jen* treasures my paintings as much as I treasure strange rocks. Once we agreed to exchange what we love with each other. However, my busy activities have kept me from carrying this out. This summer I realized that this strange rock has been sitting in my studio for five years, so I painted this to fulfill my old promise. As a record, I chose the grotesque cliff in the last scene of this twelve-leaf album. Cheng-chai, Min Chen inscribed this on the sixth day of the sixth month [July 9] of the wu-shen year [1788]. * Tai-li shan-jen is Wang Li [tzu: Li-fu] tr. Hou-mei Ishida Six seals appearing on the leaves: Min Chen, Cheng-chai, Ching-ch'iao, Chen, Liao-t'ang, Min Chen chih-yin.
Provenance
1788–?: Daili Shanren 戴笠山人 [active late 1700s] Ni Yun 倪耘 [d. 1864] Yan Shiqing 顏世清 [1873–1929] Xu Xiaopu 徐小圃 [1887–1961] c. mid-1900s: Ding Nianxian 丁念先 [1906–1969] ?–1985: (Eskenazi Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1985–: 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.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Min Zhen (Chinese, 1730–after 1788)
- Date
- 1788
- Medium
- album leaf, ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 29 x 18.4 cm (11 7/16 x 7 1/4 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1985.71.6
More by Min Zhen in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009657
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