1204
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Herdboys and Buffalo in Landscapes is a 1204 unspecified by Guo Min, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Two boys stand by a river while two huge buffalo push against each other. The animals look almost like mountains—thick necks, wide horns, muscles bunching under dark hides. The painting is actually two long scrolls, each with a poem at the top. The first poem says the boys just watch, letting the buffalo fight on their own. It’s a quiet moment in a big, wild world. To see how other Yuan-dynasty artists painted animals, look up china, qixian, yuan dynasty (1271-1368).
Herdboys tend their buffalo in a bucolic landscape by a winding stream. Guo Min emphasizes the massive forms and mighty power of the animals, transforming them into forces of nature. The poem in the first scroll reads: "The bulls are engaging in fighting, Cautiously, each seeks to overcome the other. The herdboy calmly stands by. Untying his belt, he silently watches." The poem in the second scroll reads: "Together, they wade through the middle of the stream, Mindless of perils in the journey. The grass grows tall in the village ahead, While the mist and rain spread far and wide."
Tending water buffalos has traditionally been the task of young boys and can still be seen in rural areas of Southern China today.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Guo Min is a Chinese diplomat who served as the Chinese ambassador to Azerbaijan from 2019 to 2024. She previously served as Chinese consul general in the Russian cities of Irkutsk from 2007 to 2012 and Saint Petersburg from 2015 to 2019.
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