The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream (1400s): Art, History and Details

The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream (1400s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Dai Jin (Chinese, 1388–1462).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Xu You, a recluse who refused the throne offered to him by legendary Emperor Yao, chose instead to farm on Mount Ji. Sitting under cliffs, his left arm resting on his risen leg and his loose robe revealing his belly, he displays a nonchalant attitude. Xu You is wearing a laborer’s outfit, a short robe and tight leggings, while his composed pose and gentle features reveal his lofty character. The composition shows rising mountains on the left juxtaposed by open space on the far right. Powerful brushstrokes and nuanced ink washes follow the style of the Southern Song (1127–1279) academy painters.

Object facts

• Title: The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream
• Date: 1400s
• Creator attribution: Dai Jin (Chinese, 1388–1462)
• Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk
• Dimensions: Painting: 138.2 x 75.2 cm (54 7/16 x 29 5/8 in.); Overall with knobs: 232.5 x 96.3 cm (91 9/16 x 37 15/16 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1974.45

A detail from the museum

When the emperor offered him a post overseeing the Nine Territories (as China was known in ancient times), Xu You went to the River Ying to cleanse his ears from such an unwelcome proposition.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1974.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 62, no. 3 (March 1975): 62–102.
• Lee, Sherman E. “Early Ming Painting at the Imperial Court.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 62, no. 8, 1975, pp. 243–259.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.