Accession Number
1960/1.184

Title
The Hermit Tao Yuanming Enjoying Chrysanthemums

Artist(s)
Li Shida

Object Creation Date
1619

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink and color on silk

Dimensions
62 9/16 in. x 23 11/16 in. ( 158.91 cm x 60.17 cm )

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Label copy
Inscription: Painted in the fall of 1619. Li Shida
Two seals of the artist
Ten collectors’ seals, including five imperial seals of the Qing dynasty
The poet-recluse Tao Yuanming (365–427) was legendary for his admiration of chrysanthemums and is often identified with this particular flower. In one of his “Wine-Drinking Poems” Tao writes:
Plucking chrysanthemums by the east wattle-fence,
Leisurely I paused to notice the hills in the south.
Li Shida, a professional painter from Suzhou, depicts Tao Yuanming intently watching an attendant water the chrysanthemums. His brushwork is detailed and the composition elegant.

Subject matter
The poet-recluse Tao Yuanming (365–427) was legendary for his admiration of chrysanthemums and is often identified with this particular flower. In one of his “Wine-Drinking Poems” Tao writes:
Plucking chrysanthemums by the east wattle-fence,
Leisurely I paused to notice the hills in the south.
Li Shida is a professional painter from Suzhou.

Physical Description
Inscription: Painted in the fall of 1619. Li Shida
Two seals of the artist
Ten collectors’ seals, including five imperial seals of the Qing dynasty
Tao Yuanming intently watches an attendant water the chrysanthemums. His brushwork is detailed and the composition elegant.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Additional Object Classification(s)
Painting

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
Figures
costume (mode of fashion)
costumes
flowers (plant components)
hanging scrolls
hermits
mountains
poets
trees