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Gazing at a Waterfall
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Artist Tani Bunchō painted this image in a mountain pavilion during winter. He inscribed it with two lines of a poem: “The stone cliff of layered rocks is extremely high. Waterfalls tumbling from the skies reverberate in the clouds.” The scholarly figure and attendant carrying his <em>qin</em> (a stringed instrument) are set amid majestically soaring mountains in China. For many people in Japan at the time, the image would call to mind a poem about a waterfall at Mount Lu by Chinese poet Li Bai (701–762).
| Artist / Maker | Tani Bunchō |
|---|---|
| Date | 1790 |
| Culture / Origin | Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) |
| Medium | hanging scroll; ink and color on silk |
| Dimensions | Painting: 112.5 x 51.1 cm (44 5/16 x 20 1/8 in.); Mounted: 214 x 54.5 cm (84 1/4 x 21 7/16 in.) |
| Department | Japanese Art |
| Type | Painting |
About the Artist
Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763–1841) Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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