北宋 郭熙 樹色平遠圖 卷 |Old Trees, Level Distance

Old Trees, Level Distance is a handscroll executed in ink and color on silk, with the painted image itself measuring 104.4 cm in height while the full handscroll, including later colophons and seals, extends well over 853.8 cm. The silk support has darkened with age, lending the surface a mellow tonality that Guo Xi exploited for atmospheric effect. Stylistically, the work is a canonical example of Northern Song monumental landscape, often studied alongside Guo Xi's Early Spring. The artist manipulates range of lighting, shading, and spacing to organize self-contained vignettes, fishermen, woodcutters, and picnickers, into a unified, recession-bound vista.

Mountains beyond the river are softened into mist, while foreground trees are rendered with hanging vines and withered branches that emphasize textural contrast. The composition deploys Guo Xi's three-distance system, with Level Distance governing the foreground river plain, Deep Distance carrying the misty mountains, and High Distance implied in the rising terrain, producing measured depth through ink modulation rather than linear perspective.

The handscroll Old Trees, Level Distance was completed by Guo Xi in 1080 as an ink and colour on silk work. Its earliest recorded owner was Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song, whose Xuanhe zhongbi seal marks palace collection; the scroll was later viewed by Zhao Mengfu in Yuan‑era Beijing (13th‑14th c.) and appraised by the court of Tugh Temur. After leaving the Song court it passed through private hands before entering the Qing imperial collection, bearing the seals of Qianlong, Jiaqing and Xuantong.

Subsequently it belonged to the collector Zhang Daqian, then to John M. Crawford Jr. (Gu Luofu), who bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has resided since its acquisition in 1981.

The handscroll Old Trees, Level Distance is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The painting entered the museum’s collection in 1981 through the bequest of John M. Crawford Jr. (1913–1988), who had acquired it from the artist Zhang Daqian. Prior to its acquisition, the work had passed through several imperial and private collections, including those of the Southern Song emperor Huizong, the Yuan-dynasty connoisseur Zhao Mengfu, the Mongol emperor Tugh Temur, and the Qing court, whose seals of Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Xuantong appear on the scroll.

The painting has not been recorded in any major exhibitions since its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Old Trees, Level Distance is recognized as a definitive work of the Northern Song landscape tradition, frequently studied alongside Guo Xi's Early Spring to illustrate the period's stylistic evolution. The painting exemplifies the artist's theoretical framework of the "three distances," specifically employing Level Distance to render atmospheric depth and spatial recession. Scholarship interprets the narrative elements, such as the figures of old men, as biographical references to Guo Xi's later years and his association with the poet Su Shi.

The work's art-historical significance is further cemented by its extensive provenance, which includes imperial ownership by Emperor Huizong and subsequent appraisal by Yuan-era figures like Zhao Mengfu and the court of Tugh Temur. Its journey through Qing imperial collections and eventual acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1981 underscores its enduring status as a premier example of eleventh-century Chinese painting.

Old Trees, Level Distance has long been regarded as a definitive example of the Northern Song landscape style, frequently studied in conjunction with Guo Xi's Early Spring. Its artistic legacy is evidenced by a continuous chain of imperial and scholarly appreciation spanning centuries. The work was originally collected by Emperor Huizong, whose seal marks its early prominence, and was later viewed and appraised by the Yuan-era master Zhao Mengfu and the court of Tugh Temur.

During the Qing Dynasty, it entered the imperial collection, bearing the seals of emperors Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Xuantong. In the modern era, the scroll passed through the hands of notable figures such as Zhang Daqian and John M. Crawford Jr. before entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1981. The extensive colophons and seals added by successive owners over the centuries further attest to its enduring reputation as a masterpiece.

Old Trees, Level Distance is an ink and color on silk handscroll by the Northern Song dynasty artist Guo Xi, created around 1080. This painting exemplifies the distinctive landscape tradition of its era, showcasing the artist's innovative approach to depicting natural scenes. It is recognized as a significant work within the Northern Song style, often examined alongside other major pieces from the period, such as his renowned Early Spring.