Echo (Kongshan xiaoyu 空山小語)
Echo (Kongshan xiaoyu 空山小語)
Echo (Kongshan xiaoyu 空山小語)
Echo (Kongshan xiaoyu 空山小語)

Currently not on view

Echo (Kongshan xiaoyu 空山小語),

undated; ca. 1677–78

Shitao 石濤, 1642–1707; born Guilin, China; died Yangzhou, China
Chinese
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
y1967-20
The brevity of Shitao’s brush and ink expresses an intimate dialogue with lonely mountains and silent clouds. Like the sound of one hand clapping, here the poem fills the landscape with quiet reverberations. The artist’s calligraphy quotes a couplet by the famed Song dynasty poet and calligrapher Su Shi (1036–1101): An echo rebounds with every whisper; Startling, on the empty mountain, the white cloud.

Information

Title
Echo (Kongshan xiaoyu 空山小語)
Dates

undated; ca. 1677–78

Maker
Shitao 石濤
Medium
Album leaf mounted as hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Painting: 22.1 x 29.4 cm. (8 11/16 x 11 9/16 in.) Mount: 135 x 42 cm. (53 1/8 x 16 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
Object Number
y1967-20
Place Made

Asia, China

Signatures
unsigned
Inscription
Xiao yu zhe xiang * Kong shan bai yun jing plus 6-character phrase after this
Marks/Labels/Seals
seal: one vertical rectangular yin seal to left of inscription
Culture
Chinese
Period
Qing
Type
albums, chinese painting styles, scroll paintings, hanging scrolls
Subject
cliffs, landscapes (representations), water, bridges (built works)

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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