Scholar's Dwelling in the Mountains

Object Details

• Artist

  Formerly attributed to Ma Yuan 馬遠 (active late 12th-early 13th century)

• School/Tradition

  Zhe School

• Label

  In the Ming dynasty (1369-1644) court officials, private scholars, and merchants frequently commissioned paintings of gardens to hang in the palace and their private residences. Scholar's Dwelling in the Mountains is conservative in style and follows the manner of Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) academy artists. Because the Song dynasty was considered a cultural high point, professional painters active in the Ming dynasty often returned to this style to suggest that the achievements of their day were analogous to the glory of the Song dynasty.

  The scene illustrates an elegant garden villa surrounded by a whitewashed wall; plum trees, a symbol of scholarly purity, have been planted in the compound. Chinese garden owners usually give rocks the greatest prominence in their gardens, but flowers were also important and have captivated the interest of this proprietor. Here, flowers climb a trellis and potted plants decorate the courtyard, reflecting a Chinese custom to display flowers in containers rather than planted in beds.

• Provenance

  To about 1914

  Pang Yuanji (1864-1949), Shanghai [1]

  From about 1914 to 1915

  Yamanaka and Company, New York, purchased from Pang Yuanji [2]

  From 1915 to 1968

  Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), New York, NY, Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, NY, purchased from Yamanaka and Company in June 1915 [3]

  From 1968

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by Agnes E. Meyer in 1968 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See letter from Agnes E. Meyer to Charles Freer, June 14, 1915, Agnes E. Meyer Papers, Library of Congress, copy in file.

  [2] See letter from Agnes E. Meyer to Charles Freer, cited in note 1.

  [3] See letter from Agnes E. Meyer to Charles Freer, cited in note 1. In the letter, Agnes Meyer stated that she and her husband, Eugene Meyer, bought the painting, at the time attributed to Ma Yuan, from Ushikubo Daijiro of Yamanka and Company, who in turned had purchased it from Pang Yuanji’s collection in 1914.

  [4] See Agnes E. Meyer’s Deed of Gift, dated July 24, 1967, where the painting is listed as no. 27 in the document’s Annex, copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Style in Chinese Landscape Painting: The Song Legacy (May 17 to October 26, 2014)

  Chinese Gardens in Painters Imagination (February 1, 1997 to January 4, 1998)

  Chinese Gardens in the Painter's Imagination (January 13, 1997 to January 5, 1998)

  Ming Dynasty Paintings (December 4, 1978 to June 14, 1979)

  Chinese Figure Painting (September 17, 1973 to January 3, 1975)

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Memorial Exhibition (September 25, 1971 to October 2, 1972)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Pang Yuanji 龐元濟 (1864-1949)

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970))

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1500s, 1400s

• Name

  Meyer, Eugene and Agnes E., Yamanaka and Co., Pang, Yuanji

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Pine tree, Mountains, Pavilion, Landscapes, Art, Chinese Art, Men, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Attendant, Plum blossom

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings