The Fool's Spring, from Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou

A gnarled old tree arches over a slope of shrubs and rocks in this monochrome ink landscape. Below, a stone well sits beside a path where two robed figures stand in conversation and a third walks alone at lower left. Fine brushwork and pale wash describe the foliage and the striped ground.

Look closer: A red seal stamp sits in the lower right corner beside the path.

Artist

Shen Zhou

Date

after 1490

Medium

Album leaf; ink on paper or ink and slight color on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

3400 × 2659 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund