Ramblers over a Winding Stream

Also known as: Ramblers over a Windy Stream

About the Artwork

This album leaf is one of few surviving paintings by Luo Zichuan. During the Yuan dynasty, the Luo family of painters in Jiangxi province, in Southern China, had a network of patrons extending their reputation all the way to the capital city of Beijing. The small, rounded figures crossing the bridge on the right are gentlemen enjoying a ramble, rather than ascetics or travelers. The composition is dominated in the center foreground by “crab-claw” trees with knotty trunks and twisting branches. Their robust forms show Luo’s connection to the earlier master, Guo Xi (about 1020–about 1090).

Inscriptions

Artist's seal: Zhichuan 稚川 (partially obliterated but readable). 2 additional seals: 1 of Duan Fang 端方 (1861–1911); 1 unidentified.

Provenance

Duan Fang 端方 [1861–1911] Dr. J. C. [John Calvin] Ferguson [福開森, 1866–1945] H. W. [Henry Watson] Kent [1866–1948] as agent for the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust ?–1915: John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1915–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

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). Chinese Paintings: Themes and Techniques. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 7-April 5, 1981). 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). Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982). 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). Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting (Chinese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2023-May 5, 2024).

Quick Overview

Artist: Luo Zhichuan (Chinese, active 1280s–1320s)
Date: before 1330
Medium: Album leaf; ink on silk
Dimensions: Painting only: 24.5 x 25.2 cm (9 5/8 x 9 15/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession no.: 1915.536

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