Fishermen on an Autumn River 明（傳）戴進秋江漁樂圖卷

About this artwork

Zhe School

Art Historical Context

**Fishermen on an Autumn River** is a captivating 15th-century fan attributed to Dai Jin (138–1462), a master of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and founder of the Zhe. Hailing from China's Zhejiang province, Dai Jin elevated professional painting with his bold, decorative landscapes that fused the refined academic traditions of the Southern Song dynasty with the expressive brushwork of literati artists. This work exemplifies the Zhe style's vibrant energy, bringing to life a serene autumn river scene teeming with human activity. The composition unfolds along a misty riverbank ablaze with fall foliage, where fishermen in boats employ traditional cormorant fishing—a clever technique using trained birds to dive for fish, their collars preventing them from swallowing the catch. Figures including a woman and child add warmth and narrative depth, evoking harmony between people and nature. Though the medium is unspecified, such fan paintings were prized for their intimate scale and portability, often displayed in scholarly gatherings. Acquired through the Charles Lang Freer Endowment and housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Smithsonian Collection, this piece highlights the Ming era's celebration of everyday rural life amid grand natural vistas. It invites visitors to ponder the enduring cultural reverence for seasonal beauty and communal labor in Chinese art.