China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644) / late 1400s
The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight as painting (China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644) · late 1400s).
Lin Bu withdrew from prestigious government service and lived as a hermit by the West Lake in Hangzhou.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper and credits Du Jin (Chinese, 1446–c. 1519).
The museum's collection notes: Lin Bu (967–1028), a Northern Song (960–1127) poet and hermit who lived at the West Lake in Hangzhou, was known for having plum trees for his female companions and cranes for his children. This hanging scroll depicts the poet walking in the moonlight and looking at the plum tree, a scene described in his most well-known poem on plum blossoms. Surviving works signed by Du Jin are rare and this painting is one of them. Here, the artist used lively brushwork to depict the plum tree and rocks, exemplified in varying dots and strokes, and sweeps in different shades of ink.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the MoonlightOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.