Road to Shu

Also known as: Cantilevered Road to Shu

About the Artwork

Few works by the Yuan workshops in Yangzhou present a continuous composition of such monumental scale as this hanging scroll. Road to Shu (in Sichuan province) depicts the trade of goods over long distances and through mountainous terrain. Busy travelers lead mules over footbridges, mountain paths wind along steep slopes, and soaring bridges connect peaks divided by deep gorges. The Yuan studios produced paintings to decorate the residences of wealthy Yangzhou salt merchants and princely palaces. The title Road to Shu refers to the historical drama of the flight of Tang emperor Xuanzong (reigned 712–56) to Sichuan in the aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion (755–63). At the same time, the scenery alludes to Anhui, the mountainous native country of many of the salt merchants and their trade routes in northern parts of the empire.

Inscriptions

Artist's seals: yuan yao shi yin 袁耀之印, zhao dao shi 昭道氏 Two collector’s seals: jin ju and illegible; 蜀椷行旅时癸亥夏邗上袁耀画

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).

Quick Overview

Artist: Yuan Yao (Chinese, active mid-1700s)
Date: 1743
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: Painting only: 187 x 256.5 cm (73 5/8 x 101 in.); Overall with knobs: 270 x 284 cm (106 5/16 x 111 13/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 2019.167

Provenance

May 31, 2007: (Poly Art Auctions, Beijing, China, 31 May 2007 sale) December 5, 2010: (Beijing Council International Auction Co., Ltd., "Classical Chinese Paintings," 5 December 2010, lot 0998, sold to the Moss Gallery) 2010–2019: (Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) March 20, 2014: (Offered at Sotheby’s New York, Fine Classical Chinese Painting & Calligraphy, 20 March 2014, lot 565. Unsold.) 2019–: 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.