Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009895Yellow Chrysanthemums and Red Osmanthus in the Style of Wang Yuan
by Shen Zhou 沈周
About the Artwork
Shen Zhou, a native from Suzhou, was descended from a prominent land-owning family with strong ties to literati culture. Because Shen Zhou never entered government service, he had ample opportunity to cultivate the arts of painting, poetry, and calligraphy. Chrysanthemums and red osmanthus both bloom in autumn. The deep orange osmanthus flowers emanate a characteristically sweet fragrance. According to his inscription on the painting, Shen Zhou sought to imitate the style of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) painter Wang Yuan. His color-filled brushstrokes and washes, however, anticipate the flower painting style of Yun Shouping, whose Peonies are also in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection, https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.192. The sheer size and complex composition of this scroll are impressive.
Inscriptions
Artist's inscription, signature, and 2 seals at upper right: Beneath the fence yellow [chrysanthemum] flowers brave the rain to blossom; Still others lean on the red osmanthus tree and dazzle the deep green moss. With a goblet [of wine] I face them, entirely without concern; Who will answer the knocking at the gate where a guest has arrived? In the ninth month of the fourth year of the Chenghua era [1468], I followed the brush-conception of Wang Danxuan 王澹軒 [Wang Yuan 王淵] at the Youzhuzhuang 有竹庄 [House with Bamboo]. Inscribed and [painted] by Shen Zhou 沈周 of Changzhou 長洲. [seals] Shitian 石田; Shen shi Qinan 沈氏启南. trans. HR; 1 additional inscription, dated 1523, and 2 seals of Wang Chong 王寵 (1494–1533).
Provenance
c. 1960s-1997: Mrs. A. Dean Perry [Helen Wade Greene Perry] [1911-1996], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1997-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Inspired by Chinese Landscape and Art – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 14, 2017-February 5, 2018).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Shen Zhou (Chinese, 1427–1509)
- Date
- 1468
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Overall: 397.1 x 127.4 cm (156 5/16 x 50 3/16 in.); Painting only: 288.5 x 106.3 cm (113 9/16 x 41 7/8 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
- Accession no.
- 1997.100
More by Shen Zhou 沈周 in museum collections
Public collection via the Art Institute of Chicago
AT-00000640
Public collection via the Art Institute of Chicago
AT-00001224
Distant View of Tiger Hill from the Canal Mooring, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou
Shen Zhou 沈周after 1490 · Painting
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009552
The Thousand Acres of Clouds, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou
Shen Zhou 沈周after 1490 · Painting
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009581
Open-access museum record · AT-00009895
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