Lüshan Hui

Download3289 × 3046 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Song Xu (Chinese, 1525–1606)
Medium: Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Size: Sheet: 26.4 x 28.4 cm (10 3/8 x 11 3/16 in.)
Culture: China, Jiaxing, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This album of landscape paintings depicts the famous scenic areas located in and around the city of Wuxing in southeastern China. These places were all known for their natural beauty, but in addition, a number were distinguished by their links to eminent historical figures and events. The artist, Song Xu, was not a native of Wuxing, but must have visited it when he accepted the commission, for he carefully depicted all eighteen views and wrote comments on each of them.

Song's gazetteer-like notation on this leaf reads: Lüshan hui [Mount Lü corridor]: Its name stems from Lü Meng (178–219 CE), who camped here. It is a place in the Bian Mountain range. To get to the capital of (Wuxing) prefecture, one must follow through there.