Storm in the Mountains
Hanging Scroll
Place of origin |
This mountain scene is dominated by towering peaks in the gust of wind. Under the cloudy sky farmers are seen hurriedly collecting grains from the sunning ground and bringing them indoors, suggesting that it's about to rain. At the foot of the mountains is a multi-storied house with a covered stone bridge to the right and a veranda to the left in which a man standing by the balustrades is turning his head towards the direction of the front gate, where a dog is rushing out, greeting a traveller driving two donkeys across a wooden bridge paved with reeds and mud in the foreground. As the artist's inscription suggests, the scene refers to the mid-ninth-century poetic line 'The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountains', but he didn't seem to be interested in depicting the original melancholic mood of the poem.
This painting is almost identical in composition to the scroll of the same title in much larger format in the collection of Palace Museum in Beijing. The V&A scroll is much cruder and rougher in execution, which can be seen in the treatment of foliage and the towering peaks. This scroll is possibly based on the Beijing version and was probably not made by Yuan Yao but by one of his contemporary followers such as Yuan Shao, although this is difficult to verify at the moment.
This painting is almost identical in composition to the scroll of the same title in much larger format in the collection of Palace Museum in Beijing. The V&A scroll is much cruder and rougher in execution, which can be seen in the treatment of foliage and the towering peaks. This scroll is possibly based on the Beijing version and was probably not made by Yuan Yao but by one of his contemporary followers such as Yuan Shao, although this is difficult to verify at the moment.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Ink and colour on silk |
Brief description | Pap, China, paintings and drawings. Attributed to the Yuan Jiang and Yuan Yao School, Storm in the Mountains, hanging scroll, ink and colours on silk, Spurious signature of Yuan Yao (active ca.1735-1788). |
Physical description | Storm in the mountains, attributed to the Yuan Jiang ang Yuan Yao school, hanging scroll, ink and colours on silk, spurious signature of Yuan Yao (active ca. 1735-1788) |
Dimensions |
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Content description | This landscape painting depicts a mountain scene dominated by a towering peaks. In the sky are dark clouds gathering forces creating the gust of wind. A group of farmers are seen hurriedly collecting grains from the sunning ground and them indoors. At the foot of the mountains is a multi-storied house with a covered stone bridge to the right and a veranda to the left in which a man standing by the the balustrates is turning his head towards the front gate, at which his dog is barking to greet a traveller driving two donkeys across a wooden bridge paved with reeds and mud in the foreground. |
Style | |
Production type | Unique |
Marks and inscriptions | (畫家題):擬山雨欲來風滿樓句意。乙酉春月邗上袁耀。
(畫家印):袁耀(白方),昭道(朱方)。 (The poetic line is from a poem entitled 'Xianyang cheng donglou' (The City Tower in the East of Xianyang) by the late Tang poet Xu Hun.
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Credit line | A.E. Anderson |
Object history | Given by A. E. Anderson, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. Previously the artist's inscription was erroneously deciphered - the name of 'Yuan Yao' was thought to be 'Zha Shibiao' (see 9-page list of scrolls at the front of P+D Catalogue of Chinese Drawings). The mistake is now corected. HZ (11/6/214) |
Subjects depicted | |
Literary references |
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Summary | This mountain scene is dominated by towering peaks in the gust of wind. Under the cloudy sky farmers are seen hurriedly collecting grains from the sunning ground and bringing them indoors, suggesting that it's about to rain. At the foot of the mountains is a multi-storied house with a covered stone bridge to the right and a veranda to the left in which a man standing by the balustrades is turning his head towards the direction of the front gate, where a dog is rushing out, greeting a traveller driving two donkeys across a wooden bridge paved with reeds and mud in the foreground. As the artist's inscription suggests, the scene refers to the mid-ninth-century poetic line 'The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountains', but he didn't seem to be interested in depicting the original melancholic mood of the poem. This painting is almost identical in composition to the scroll of the same title in much larger format in the collection of Palace Museum in Beijing. The V&A scroll is much cruder and rougher in execution, which can be seen in the treatment of foliage and the towering peaks. This scroll is possibly based on the Beijing version and was probably not made by Yuan Yao but by one of his contemporary followers such as Yuan Shao, although this is difficult to verify at the moment. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.4317-1910 |
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Record created | June 25, 2009 |
Record URL |
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