Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009748Scholar Watching the Waterfall
by Luo Ping
About the Artwork
In this hanging scroll, a scholar and his attendant contemplate a waterfall. A light breeze lifts the scholar’s robe and blows the tree leaves, suggesting movement. Luo Ping from Anhui province was orphaned after his family had moved to Yangzhou, but his talent was recognized by the salt merchant brothers Ma Yueguan (1688–1755) and Ma Yuelu (1697–after 1766), who introduced him to literati circles. His patrons' portraits are in CMA 1979.72. Inspired by painter Jin Nong in his early career, Luo became known for his creative figure paintings, including ghosts. Scholar Watching a Waterfall was painted in his Yangzhou studio in the year of Jin’s death.
Inscriptions
觀瀑圖. 二月七日為 守堂老伯先生作朱草詩林中人羅聘. [印] 兩峰畫印; 山林外臣.; 1 additional seal of C. C. Wang 王季遷 (1907–2003) in the lower right.
Provenance
?–1975: (Ting Chen Chang, Hong Kong, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1975–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
When Salt was Gold: Yangzhou, City of Riches and Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 12-November 5, 2023).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Luo Ping (Chinese, 1733–1799)
- Date
- 1764
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper
- Dimensions
- Painting: 125.7 x 56.8 cm (49 1/2 x 22 3/8 in.); Overall: 230.5 x 72.1 cm (90 3/4 x 28 3/8 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
- Accession no.
- 1975.95
More by Luo Ping in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009748
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