River landscape: a willow and other trees, rolling hills, and a high mountain range
1279-1644
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1909.246b
Tags
About this artwork
To 1909
Art Historical Context
This serene river landscape, featuring a graceful willow tree, lush foliage, rolling hills, and a majestic distant mountain range, exemplifies the timeless tradition of Chinese landscape painting from the Yuan (1279–1368) and (1368–1644) dynasties. Created a period when Mongol rule transitioned to native Han Chinese governance, such works captured the sublime beauty of nature, symbolizing harmony between humanity and the cosmos. Mountains often represented stability and the eternal, while winding rivers evoked the flow of life and qi (vital energy), inviting viewers to contemplate the vastness...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...