Artwork
清 佚名 倣董其昌 倣米氏雲山圖 卷|Cloudy Mountain in the Style of Mi Fu (1052–1107)
清 佚名 倣董其昌 倣米氏雲山圖 卷|Cloudy Mountain in the Style of Mi Fu (1052–1107) is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Dong Qichang. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This handscroll, titled Cloudy Mountain in the Style of Mi Fu, is an ink painting on silk.
About this work
Soft gray mountains float in mist, dotted with tiny trees and a few dark houses. Painted in 1777, it copies a style from five centuries earlier. The light, feathery brushwork makes the peaks seem to dissolve into the air.
Subject & Meaning
The handscroll portrays a traditional Chinese landscape that centers on a mist‑shrouded mountain and a solitary tree, motifs frequently employed in literati painting to evoke the enduring presence of nature and the scholar’s contemplative retreat. The composition follows the stylistic conventions of Mi Fu, emphasizing rhythmic brushwork and atmospheric depth, while the accompanying inscription attributes the work to a follower of Dong Qichang. Together, the mountain and tree function as visual symbols of stability and transcendence within the landscape genre, reflecting the cultural valuation of natural harmony in Qing‑era art.
Technique & Style
The ink wash creates a gradated tonal field, emphasizing subtle gradations of light and shadow rather than precise detail.
The work is a handscroll painted in ink on silk, a format typical of Qing dynasty album leaves and imperial collections. Its subject is a mist‑shrouded mountain with a solitary tree, rendered in the compositional language of Mi Fu’s cloud‑mountain landscapes while adopting the brush idiom of Dong Qichang. The artist follows the tradition of copying master models, using loose, expressive strokes to suggest atmospheric depth and a vertical orientation that guides the eye through successive peaks.
The ink wash creates a gradated tonal field, emphasizing subtle gradations of light and shadow rather than precise detail.
History & Provenance
Created in 1777 in China, this handscroll executed in ink on silk is attributed to an anonymous Qing dynasty artist working in the style of Dong Qichang. The work specifically emulates the clouded mountain landscapes associated with Mi Fu. While the piece is a later imitation, its creation date is firmly established as the late eighteenth century.
The scroll currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is cataloged as a landscape painting depicting mountains and trees. No specific details regarding its original commission or intermediate ownership history prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
The handscroll titled Cloudy Mountain in the Style of Mi Fu, attributed to an anonymous Qing‑era follower of Dong Qichang, is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. The museum lists the work as being acquired from an unknown provenance and does not assign a distinct accession number in the published catalogue. No exhibition record appears in the sources consulted; the piece has not been featured in publicly documented exhibitions at the institution.
Overview
This handscroll, titled Cloudy Mountain in the Style of Mi Fu, is an ink painting on silk. It presents a serene landscape dominated by soft gray mountains that appear to float amidst swirling mist. Small trees and faint indications of human habitation, represented by dark dots for houses, are subtly integrated into the vast natural scene.
The work is a deliberate emulation of an earlier artistic tradition, reflecting a common practice in Chinese painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Dong Qichang (Chinese: 董其昌; pinyin: Dǒng Qíchāng; Wade–Giles: Tung Ch'i-ch'ang; courtesy name Xuanzai (玄宰); 1555–1636) was a Chinese art theorist, calligrapher, painter, and politician of the later period of the Ming dynasty.
