Snowscape after Guo Xi 《仿郭熙雪景圖》
date: label: Date
content: 1702
label: Period
content: Qing dynasty
name: label: Artist
content: Li Yin 李寅 (active 1694-1710)
notes: label: Label
content: Li Yin was a successful commercial artist who worked primarily in his native Yangzhou. His inscription on this scroll provides a unique insight into his life as a professional painter:
label: Label
content: To beat the heat, I humbly beg a swig of Yuan Shao's wine,
label: Label
content: To cool things off, I visualize the skin of a white dragon.
label: Label
content: Snow lies helter-skelter on this five-foot length of icy silk,
label: Label
content: As I put the brush aside, my gauzy shirt hides goosebumps.
label: Label
content: "Half the paintings by Guo Xi [circa 1001-1090] that I have seen are real and half are counterfeit. When I come across a real one, I study the real thing, and when I come across a counterfeit, I study the counterfeit as well. . . . In fact, everyone who appreciates my work considers me a true Heyang [Guo Xi], and I have always thought myself a true Heyang as well. Because of this, people compete to offer me gold and money for my work, afraid to be too late. At such times I always feel a little self-doubt, but as for this scroll now, I have no doubts at all."
label: Label
content: Translations by Stephen D. Allee
label: Provenance
content: To 1916
label: Provenance
content: Li Wenqing (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1916 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1916 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing, in New York, in 1916 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 1261, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, LVC Catalogue, 1915, No. 25. This object exhibits seals, colophons, or inscriptions that could provide additional information regarding the object’s history; see Curatorial Remarks in the object record for further details.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Seasons: Chinese Landscapes (December 18, 2010 to June 12, 2011)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Arts of the Brush, 17th - 18th Century (January 21 to July 22, 2001)
label: Exhibition History
content: Ching Dynasty Paintings (June 15, 1979 to November 6, 1979)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
label: Exhibition History
content: Yuan Chiang School, Chinese Paintings (April 12, 1963 to October 15, 1963)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Li Wenqing 李文卿 (ca. 1869-1931) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: pine tree
label: Topic
content: winter
label: Topic
content: water
label: Topic
content: Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
label: Topic
content: mountain
label: Topic
content: snow
label: Topic
content: temple
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1916.89
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink on silk
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 155.4 x 70.9 cm (61 3/16 x 27 15/16 in)