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Reminiscences of Qinhuai River
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This album leaf was probably created in 1695 for a friend Shitao had traveled with to visit ancient sites along the Qinhuai River from the Six Dynasties period. A tiny figure in a boat looks up in awe toward rising mountain masses that form an overhanging cliff, perhaps an image for the overwhelming history of Nanjing. Shitao was born two years before the Ming dynasty fell. A descendant of the first Ming emperor, he later lived in Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Anhui province. Despite his affiliation with the Ming imperial family, he met the Qing dynasty Kangxi emperor twice.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineReminiscences of Qinhuai River (秦淮憶舊圖冊), 1642–1707. Shitao (Chinese, 1642–1707). Album leaf; ink and color on Song paper; image: 25.5 x 20.2 cm (10 1/16 x 7 15/16 in.); overall: 33 x 24.3 cm (13 x 9 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1966.31.8
