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Source Description
This masterwork of calligraphy by Zhu Yunming from Suzhou combines two poems by the artist in cursive script style, characterized by its uninhibited, swift, and intuitive brushwork, so powerful that it here dissolved characters into dots or lines. Written from right to left and top to bottom and alternating in light dry to deep saturated ink, single characters may take a whole column or extend into the next one. Following the movement of the brush, they seem to dance over the paper.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
542082
label
Retreat on an Autumn Day, in Cursive Script
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
542082
contentType
object
title
Retreat on an Autumn Day, in Cursive Script
description
This masterwork of calligraphy by Zhu Yunming from Suzhou combines two poems by the artist in cursive script style, characterized by its uninhibited, swift, and intuitive brushwork, so powerful that it here dissolved characters into dots or lines. Written from right to left and top to bottom and alternating in light dry to deep saturated ink, single characters may take a whole column or extend into the next one. Following the movement of the brush, they seem to dance over the paper.
date
dated 1523
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
creators
542079
genreSpecific
Calligraphy
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height: 34.3 cm (13 1/2 in.); Calligraphy section: 514.2 cm (202 7/16 in.); Roll: 34.6 x 8.3 cm (13 5/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
cul
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
accession
2025.192
Source extras
tec
Handscroll; ink on paper
tombstone
Retreat on an Autumn Day, in Cursive Script (閑居秋日, 草書), dated 1523. Zhu Yunming (Chinese, 1460–1527). Handscroll; ink on paper; height: 34.3 cm (13 1/2 in.); calligraphy section: 514.2 cm (202 7/16 in.); roll: 34.6 x 8.3 cm (13 5/8 x 3 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Gracious Pine Studio Collection, 2025.192
titleInOriginalLanguage
閑居秋日, 草書
collection
ASIAN - Handscroll
inscriptions
inscription
款識：讌於從一堂，爛漫醉書。癸未（1523）七月晦日也。枝山允明
inscription_translation
Three poems by the artist, written in cursive script style. Signed "Feasting at the Congyi Hall, joyously intoxicated, writing freely. On the last day of the seventh lunar month, year guiwei [September 8, 1523], Zhishan Yunming.”
sortorder
1
inscription
《閒居秋日》逃暑應能蹔閉關，未消多把古賢攀。並拋杯酌方為懶，少事篇章恐礙閑。風墮一庭鄰寺葉，雲開半面隔城山。浮生只說潛居易，隱比求（脫「名」）事更艱。
inscription_translation
Artist's first inscription:
“Autumn Day in Seclusion”
Escaping the summer heat, I close my doors for a while,/
Yet, the desire to learn from ancient sages lingers still./
I set aside my cup, too lazy to enjoy its fullness,/
Afraid that writing will interrupt my peaceful idleness./
In the courtyard, leaves from the temple next door fall,/
Through the parted clouds, half of the mountain beyond the city is revealed./
They say that living in seclusion is easy in this fleeting life,/
But compared to seeking fame, true solitude is even harder to achieve.
sortorder
2
inscription
《句曲道中》老至誰憐晝錦明，春來聊得客襟清。宵依星斗宮壇臥，曉（脫「入」）神仙宅舍行。眼看山多城郭少，肩挑詩重簿書輕。何時總入煙霞去。不見人間寵辱驚。
inscription_translation
Artist's second inscription:
“On the Road to Juqu Mountain”
Reaching old age, who pities those adorned in silken robes?/
With the arrival of spring, I find my guest’s heart at ease./
At night, I rest by the celestial altar under the stars,/
At dawn, I walk among the homes of the immortals./
My eyes see more mountains than cities,/
Carrying the weight of poetry while leaving behind lighter books./
When will I fully retreat to the mist and clouds,/
No longer startled by the rise and fall of fame in the human world?
sortorder
3
inscription
《登茆峰》下馬門前一振衣，翠微高迥逼清微。雲端洞裡仙人過，月下山中長史歸。金焰暈牀砂氣伏，紫雲穿竇朮芽肥。神方能詠不能遇，一夜爽靈峰外飛。
inscription_translation
Artist's third inscription:
“Ascending Mao Peak”
Dismounting at the gate, I shake the dust from my clothes,/
The lofty green heights draw me closer to the pure ether./
In the clouds, immortals pass through caves,/
Under the moon, the chief historian returns from the mountains./
Golden flames swirl on the bed as sandy winds rest,/
Purple clouds pierce through crevices, with alchemical herbs thriving./
The divine formulas can be sung but never encountered,/
One night, the bright spirit flies beyond the peak.
sortorder
4
inscription
鈐印：「晞哲」、「允明」
inscription_translation
Two seals of the artist: "xi zhe" and "yun ming."
sortorder
5
inscription_translation
6 seals of 17th century collector Cai Shisong
sortorder
6
didYouKnow
Zhu Yunming stated that he was in an inebriated state when he created this work.
citations
citation
Fu, Shen Chun-Yueh 傅申, and Yūjirō Nakata 中田勇次郎. <em>Ōbei shūzō Chūgoku hōsho meiseki shū</em> [ 歐米収蔵中國法書名蹟集= Masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy in American and European collections]. Tokyo: Chūō Kōronsha, 1981.
page_number
vol. 4, pp. 167–68
citation
Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc. New York. <em>Fine Chinese paintings and calligraphy</em>: Sale 7790. Wednesday, 1 December 1993.
page_number
Lot 112
creditline
Gift of the Gracious Pine Studio Collection
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:11:27.740000
sourceId
542082
dept
Chinese Art
coll
ASIAN - Handscroll
med
Handscroll; ink on paper
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2f2acf7207d475ec