Washing the Feet (from the Dusty World)
Medium
Hanging scroll mounted on a panel; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
170.2 × 79.4 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession Number
1997.103
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
A scholar on a boat in the middle ground bathes his feet in the cooling stream. The vast river scene is depicted from a high viewing point. The motif of a scholar washing his feet illustrates the phrase, “When the waters of the Canglang are clear, I wash my capstrings. When the waters of the Canglang are muddy, I wash my feet [only]” (from Songs of Chu, written before 256 BC). The passage evokes the image of the virtuous scholar-official who avoids government service when the ruler is corrupt (t...