Quiet Residence in an Autumn Valley
In this painting by Tani Bunchō evoking the style of the Zhe school of China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644), a scholar retreats to a thatched sanctuary on rustic grounds. The open gate invites viewers into a realm of tranquility and introspection. At upper left, Bunchō’s friend Kameda Bōsai inscribed a poem in his distinctive, almost illegible cursive script, describing the soundscape of the idyllic world shown in the painting:
繞屋鳴泉触石碓 茶鐺声沸和松風
清音不是塵寰響 渾入山人笑話中
Around the house, the gurgling spring
caresses the stone mortar,
While the hum of the tea kettle
blends with the sound of the pines.
This pure tone differs
from the noise of the dusty world,
And melds with the jovial banter
of hermits on the mountain.
—Trans. Tim T. Zhang
繞屋鳴泉触石碓 茶鐺声沸和松風
清音不是塵寰響 渾入山人笑話中
Around the house, the gurgling spring
caresses the stone mortar,
While the hum of the tea kettle
blends with the sound of the pines.
This pure tone differs
from the noise of the dusty world,
And melds with the jovial banter
of hermits on the mountain.
—Trans. Tim T. Zhang
Artwork Details
- 谷文晁筆 亀田鵬斎賛 秋溪閑居図
- Title: Quiet Residence in an Autumn Valley
- Artist: Painting by Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763–1840)
- Artist: Inscription by Kameda Bōsai (Japanese, 1752–1826)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1821
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 57 11/16 × 25 11/16 in. (146.6 × 65.3 cm)
Overall with mounting: 90 7/8 × 31 1/8 in. (230.8 × 79.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 90 7/8 × 33 1/2 in. (230.8 × 85.1 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.412.15
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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