Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains
溪山兰若图
A towering ink mountain dominates the composition, capped with the round 'alum-head' boulders and wet ink dots that became Juran's signature. The Buddhist hermitage at the foot of the cliff is almost hidden — the point is the immensity of nature, not the human dwelling.
Object Facts
- Period
- Northern Song dynasty (960–1127)
- Date
- ca. 960–985
- Artist
- Juran (巨然)
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink on silk
- Dimensions
- Painting: 184.5 × 56.1 cm
- Held by
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, USA - Accession
- 1959.348
Cleveland Museum of Art — Gift of Katharine Holden Thayer, 1959
Why it matters
Juran was a Buddhist monk-painter who served the Southern Tang court before the Song unification. This scroll fuses the misty Jiangnan southern style with the monumental Northern Song landscape mode — a hinge moment in the entire Chinese landscape tradition.
How it travelled
Held by Chinese collectors through Ming and Qing, then dispersed in the early Republican era. It passed through Japanese collections before being acquired by the heiress Katharine Holden Thayer, who gifted it to Cleveland in 1959.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains?+
Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains is held by the The Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, USA. Accession number 1959.348. Online catalogue record: https://clevelandart.org/art/1959.348.
When was Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains created?+
Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains dates to ca. 960–985, during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).
Who made Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains?+
Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains is attributed to Juran (巨然). The work is a hanging scroll executed in hanging scroll; ink on silk.
How did Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains end up at the Cleveland Museum?+
Held by Chinese collectors through Ming and Qing, then dispersed in the early Republican era. It passed through Japanese collections before being acquired by the heiress Katharine Holden Thayer, who gifted it to Cleveland in 1959.
Can I reuse the photograph of Buddhist Retreat by Stream and Mountains?+
Yes. The Cleveland Museum has released the image under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so it is free for any use, commercial or non-commercial, with no attribution required (though attribution is appreciated).
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五百罗汉图
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