Cleveland Museum of Art

Tao Yuanming's Return Home

Date: 1300s
Medium: Handscroll; ink and slight color on silk
Culture: China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)
Department: Chinese Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 150730

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

Tao Yuanming's revered poem "Return Home 歸去來辭 (Gui qu lai ci)" powerfully conveys his desire to leave bureaucratic life for the simplicity and authenticity of nature. This sentiment has deeply resonated with generations of Chinese scholars, making it a popular theme in paintings. This handscroll uses continuous narrative depicting Tao in multiple scenes from the poem. Starting on the right, the poet travels to his home. His children wait by the gate, while his wife pauses to tidy her hair before welcoming him. Then, free from the burdens of official service, Tao spends time in both nature and his cottage, where he can again enjoy wine, music, and books. Poet Tao Yuanming 陶淵明 (c. 365–427 CE) returned to a secluded life instead of pursuing a civil service career.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Provenance: ?–1982: (Frank Caro [1904–1980], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) | 1982–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

Chinese landscape paintings
These are predominantly Chinese paintings from the Ming, Qing, Yuan, and Song dynasties that depict natural landscape scenes including mountains, rivers, forests, and human settlements using traditional media such as ink
180 objects from 5 institutions