Artwork
Yutai Peak (Jade Terrace Peak)
Yutai Peak (Jade Terrace Peak) is an unspecified painting by the Ming dynasty painting artist Song Xu. It dates from 1594 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1588 by the Chinese artist Song Xu, this painting depicts a tree as its primary subject.
Created in 1588 by the Chinese artist Song Xu, this painting depicts a tree as its primary subject. The work's title, Yutai Peak (or Jade Terrace Peak), suggests a connection to a specific mountainous location, yet the visual focus remains on the arboreal element. While the title implies a landscape setting associated with the Jade Terrace, the available records specifically identify the tree as the depicted object within the composition.
History & Provenance
Yutai Peak (Jade Terrace Peak) is a painting attributed to Song Xu, dated to 1588. The work was produced in Jiaxing, as recorded in contemporary documentation. Its creation is noted for depicting a solitary tree, reflecting the artist’s interest in landscape subjects.
The piece entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it has been housed since at least the late 1990s, listed under accession number 1998.78.6. No further ownership records or documented commissions are available in the sources consulted.
Yutai Peak (Jade Terrace Peak) by Song Xu is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its accession number is 1998.78.6, as recorded in the collection's cataloguing data. The painting, dated 1588, was produced in Jiaxing and entered the museum's holdings under that identifier.
No exhibition history is documented in the available sources for this work.
Overview
Yutai Peak (Jade Terrace Peak) is a painting from 1594 by the artist Song Xu. This work is currently housed in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents a focused depiction of a single tree, rendered with attention to its individual character and setting within a natural landscape. The composition invites contemplation of the tree's form and its environment.
Technique & Style
Song Xu utilized a restrained color scheme, dominated by muted greens, browns, and tans, with only faint suggestions of brighter green in the distant hills. The artist meticulously rendered the tree's gnarled roots and rough bark, emphasizing its robust and enduring nature. The background is kept intentionally simple and understated, serving to underscore the tree's prominence as the primary subject of the painting.
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