Parting at the Gate of the Capital

CC0 Public Domain Designation

Arts of Asia

Ming dynasty (1369–1644), 15th century

Yao Shou (Chinese, 1423-1495)

This handscroll captures a goodbye. Along the riverbank, a boatman poised with paddle in hand stands tall in anticipation of launching. Nearby, scholars wearing black hats linger over their departure. Within the thatched pavilion, two servants diligently pack up the remains of a farewell party. In ancient China, a handscroll would be viewed by unrolling it in segments, one arm’s length at a time, from right to left. This handscroll would thus gradually reveal the travelers and the distant landscape, creating the effect of sending them off.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Asia

Artist: Yao Shou
Title: Parting at the Gate of the Capital
Place: China (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1423–1495
Medium: Handscroll; ink and color on paper
Inscriptions: Yinshou frontispiece by Wang Jin (15th century) Colophon by Ma Xian (1484 jinshi) Recorded in Lu Xinyuan, Rangliguan Guoyanlu (1892), vol. 13, p.13. Inscription: (tentative translation) Those who part at the capital gate are scholars, There is red pavilion wine, [they] contend for baixue song[name of old song] Evening mountains are boundless, spring trees are drooping, Thinking about friendship and joy we had, hope to meet again at Wucheng. (E.Park 1989)
Credit Line: Gift of Alice Boney
Reference Number: 1971.475
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/36597/manifest.json

Comprehensive Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Paintings: Vol. 1 American and Canadian Collections, compiled by Kei Suzuki , by University of Tokyo Press, 1982; page I-34, 35, No. A 3–015.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.