Old Trees by a Wintry Brook

A vertical ink landscape shows two gnarled trees, one with dark clustered foliage, rising beside a winding path over rocky ground. Inscription columns and red seals sit at the upper left, and the pale paper leaves the scene muted and spare.

Look closer: Red seals and a signature column sit at the upper left, and a small seal appears at the lower right corner.

Artist

Wen Zhengming

Date

1551

Medium

hanging scroll, ink and light color on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

1387 × 3400 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry