Artwork
明/清 佚名 趙孟頫(僞款) 西成歸樂圖 卷|Happy Return from the West
明/清 佚名 趙孟頫(僞款) 西成歸樂圖 卷|Happy Return from the West is an ink painting by the Yuan dynasty literati painting artist After Zhao Mengfu. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This handscroll, titled Happy Return from the West, is an ink and color painting on silk, created in 1506.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The handscroll depicts a landscape scene featuring a man and a bull, consistent with the title Happy Return from the West.
The handscroll depicts a landscape scene featuring a man and a bull, consistent with the title Happy Return from the West. The imagery suggests a theme of rural life and the peaceful conclusion of agricultural labor, likely alluding to the harvest season implied by the term 'Happy Return.' As a work attributed to the style of Zhao Mengfu but created by an anonymous artist in China, the composition emphasizes the harmony between the figure and the animal within a natural setting.
Technique & Style
The work is a handscroll painted in ink with subtle color washes on silk, measuring 22.9 cm in height and 89.5 cm in width. Executed circa 1506, it belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a bull alongside a figure, a motif noted in its Wikidata entry. The composition follows the compositional conventions of the Yuan-era master Zhao Mengfu, employing flowing brushwork and a restrained palette typical of Ming-Qing courtly scrolls.
History & Provenance
The handscroll titled Happy Return from the West, attributed to an anonymous painter after Zhao Mengfu, was created in China in 1506 using ink and color on silk. Its dimensions measure 22.9 cm in height by 89.5 cm in width. The work portrays a bull and a man, reflecting landscape themes common of the period.
It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display. No documentation of an earlier ownership sequence or a specific commission is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
This handscroll, titled Happy Return from the West, is an ink and color painting on silk, created in 1506. Attributed to an anonymous artist working in the manner of the renowned Yuan-dynasty painter Zhao Mengfu, it depicts a tranquil landscape featuring figures and bulls. The artwork is notable for its deliberate imitation of an earlier master's style, a common practice in Chinese art history.
Artist & collection
Untitled
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Pan Lang (Han Rō)
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Untitled
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