Garden for Solitary Enjoyment
Medium
Handscroll; ink and light color on silk
Dimensions
32 × 1290.2 cm · painting: 28 × 518.5 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1978.67
Tags
male
About this artwork
Garden of Solitary Enjoyment refers to a site built in 1073 by the statesman Sima Guang (1019–1086) after he had retired to Luoyang, Henan province. Every spring, visitors would flock to his garden. Each of its seven structures references a historic figure. Sima wrote: I channel streams [like Du Mu], to water flowers [like Bai Juyi], or trim bamboo [like Wang Huizhi]. . . . I know of no joy between heaven and earth that could take its place. Qiu Ying’s painting, created after an 11th-century ver...