The First Prose Poem on the Red Cliff

1558

Wen Zhengming Chinese, 1470-1559

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Provenance

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About the Artwork

The Chinese concept of our fleeting existence in the boundless universe is expressed in Wen Zhengming’s painting and calligraphic rendition of Su Shi’s classic poem written in 1082. Three scholars are depicted contemplating life and nature over wine on a moonlight Yangzi River cruise at the foot of the scenic Red Cliffs. Part of the poem reads: “The clear breeze over the river, or the bright moon between the hills, These we may take… free, And they will never be used up. These are the endless treasures of the Creator Here for you and me to enjoy together.”

Title The First Prose Poem on the Red Cliff

Artwork Date 1558

Artist Wen Zhengming

Life Dates 1470-1559

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Chinese

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Ink on paper

Dimensions Installed: 97 5/16 × 23 1/8 inches (247.2 × 58.7 cm) Image: 56 5/16 × 13 3/16 inches (143 × 33.5 cm) Mount: 94 3/16 × 19 5/8 inches (239.2 × 49.8 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Asian Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 76.3

Markings

Signed Signed and dated, by the artist: 1558

Inscriptions Inscribed, [translated: On a winter's day Zhengming painted and wrote this at the age of 89] Calligraphy, at top: [Su Shi's "First Prose Poem on the Red Cliff"]

Marks Stamp, in red, at upper right of calligraphy: [seal] Stamp, in red, at lower left of calligraphy: [seal] Stamps, in red, at right of painting: [three seals] Stamps, in red, at left of painting: [two seals]

Provenance

1976-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Edwards, Richard. The Art of Wen Cheng-ming. Exh. cat.,University of Michigan Museum of Art. Ann Arbor, 1976, pp. 209-212.

Bulletin of the DIA 56, no. 3 (1978): p. 179 (ill.).

University Liggett Antiques Show. Exh. cat., University Liggett School. Grosse Pointe Woods, 1979, pp. 75, 77.

"Family Art Game." DIA Advertising Supplement, Detroit News/Detroit Free Press, April 18, 1982, p. 31 (ill.).

The Literati Vision: Sixteenth Century Wu School Painting and Calligraphy. Exh. cat., Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and Kimbell Art Museum. Fort Worth and Memphis, 1984, p. 23, no. 6 (ill.).

Barnhart, Richard. “Two Chinese Paintings Acquired for the DIA in 1921 by Ralph H. Booth.” Bulletin of the DIA 92, no. 1/4 (2018): p. 18 (fig. 13).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Wen Zhengming, The First Prose Poem on the Red Cliff, 1558, ink on paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 76.3.