Minneapolis Institute of Art

Farewell at the Riverbank

Qin Shi

Date

17th century

Medium

Ink and color on gold-flecked paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This delicate fan painting captures a significant theme in Chinese landscape art: Farewell at the riverbank. In the quiet setting of rustic cottages, bare trees, and distant hills, a group of people gather by the water’s edge, embodying the poignant ritual of parting. The river, a common metaphor for life’s flow and separation, provides both a physical and emotional backdrop. Popular in literati (scholar-artist) painting, such farewell scenes reflect the transience of human encounters and the enduring solace found in nature. Intimate in scale yet profound in sentiment, this work unites poetic narrative with the elegance of brush and ink. China, Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.