COLLECTION NAME:
National Palace English
Record
Work ID:
M01E00152
Title:
On a Mountain Path in Spring
Creation Date:
Song Dynasty
Start Year Date:
A.D.960
End Year Date:
A.D.1279
Dynasty:
39 Song Dynasty (A.D. 960~1279)
Creator:
Ma Yuan
Creation Place:
China
Measurements:
27.4 x 43.1 cm
Material:
Ink and color on silk
Form:
Ce-ye (album leaf)
Type:
Painting
Subject:
Figure
Repository:
The National Palace Museum, Taipei
Description:
On a clear spring day in the Jiangnan region, a scholar wearing a white robe and an official's cap twists the hairs of his beard while seeming to recite idly some verse. His wide sleeves touch wildflowers in passing, and he startles a pair of yellow orioles perched atop the tree branches. Accompanied by a youth carrying a zither, he seems to be searching for a rhyme or on his way to meet a friend. In the depiction of figures and their actions and gestures, On a Mountain Path in Spring captures a certain mood. The painting matches the content of the poem inscribed by Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty, "Touched by my sleeve, more wildflowers start to dance/Avoiding people, the secluded birds do not make a sound" But the painting also makes one think of the Song Dynasty poet, Cheng Yi's rhyme, "A Poem Composed on a Spring Day," which reads, "Clouds and a light breeze as the time approaches after noon/Nearby flowers follow the willows as I cross the river before me." On a Mountain Path in Spring is an example of how, through poetic interpretation, a painting can resonate more clearly in the appreciative minds of its audience. When Song Dynasty painters signed their works, they tended to make use of rocky crevices and tree roots, locations that did not arouse the viewer's attention. In this painting, the signature is located in the lower left corner.
ImageV ID:
M01E00152AS002
Rights:
Lee & Lee Communications