This painting depicts the Nymph of the Luo River, a mythical river goddess who was celebrated in a famous prose-poem by the poet and prince Cao Zhi (192–232 CE.) Cao’s influential early poem established the Nymph as a subject of erotic preoccupation in the Chinese literary imagination, a position further solidified by a seminal early painting of the subject by the pioneering painter Gu Kaizhi (c. 344–406). Celebrations of the Nymph of the Luo River and the famous poem and painting that immortalized her subsequently became common in Chinese culture. The painter Yu Ming’s friend and frequent collaborator Xu Zonghao 徐宗浩 (1880–1957), transcribed Cao’s lengthy poem in the upper register of the hanging scroll.
Yu Ming was born in Wuxing and spent much of his career in Shanghai and Beijing. Though largely aligned with traditionalist groups that advocated the continued development of traditions of classical Chinese painting, Yu was also trained in European watercolor techniques.: According to Xu Zonghao’s inscription, this painting is a copy of an original image of the Nymph of the Luo River by the great Yuan dynasty painter Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), and as such it reflects the interest in classical Chinese paintings that animated many of Yu’s patrons in Beijing and Shanghai.
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現代 俞明 洛神圖 軸
Title:Nymph of the Luo
Artist:Yu Ming (Chinese, 1884–1935)
Date:Inscription dated 1942
Culture:China
Medium:Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions:Image: 50 1/2 × 13 1/4 in. (128.3 × 33.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 92 × 21 1/4 in. (233.7 × 54 cm) Overall with knobs: 92 × 25 in. (233.7 × 63.5 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Jack and Susy Wadsworth, 2024
Object Number:2024.555.3
Inscription: No artist’s inscription or signature
Artist’s seals
Yu Ming 俞明 Difan 滌煩
Other inscription on the painting
Xu Zonghao 徐宗浩 (1880–1957), 18 columns in standard script, dated 1942; 4 seals:
Nymph of the Luo with Preface Cao Zhi
After attending court in the capital in the 3rd year of the Huangchu reign (222), I returned home by way of the River Luo, the nymph of which is referred to as Fufei in ancient accounts. Inspired by Song Yu's description of a goddess to the King of Chu, I have composed this fu-rhapsody, reading:
Homeward bound from the capital, I headed back east for my fief. Through Yique and Huanyuan we passed. Over Tongju and Jingshan we crossed. The sun was down. The horses were weary. Upon a bank of herbs we halted, Giving our steeds a grazing sweet. Strolling under the willows and Glimpsing at the water, I was suddenly startled and pulled from my trance. I looked down but saw nothing. On looking up, I was stunned by the sight Of a fair maiden at the foot of a cliff. "Do you see her?" I grabbed the coachman and asked, "Who could she be- A lady of such beauty?" "Luo is ruled, it’s said, By a nymph called Fufei. Could it be her That my lord sees? Pray tell me What she looks like." And so I began, First with her form: "She glides with the lightness of a swan in flight, And with the gracefulness of a dragon in a writhe. Her radiance shames the chrysanthemums in autumn; Her fresh bloom rivals the pines in spring. When she shifts, it's like the moon hidden by mists; When she drifts, it's like snow swirling in the breeze. From afar, she shines like the morning sun rising from rosy clouds; Close up, she glows like the lotus flower emerging from emerald ripples. Not too fat or thin, or too tall or short, She is flawless and perfect in proportion. Delicate are her shoulders, as if a work of sculpture. Narrow is her waist, as if a band baling silk. In plain sight is the white skin Of her slender neck and nape. Scent is dispensed with. So is powder for her face. Her hair is coiled into a bun High above her long crescent brows. Behind those glossy red lips, White teeth quietly gleam. Glances from her bright eyes enchant, As do smiles from her dimpled cheeks. Exceptionally refined in bearing And demure in demeanor, She carries herself with gentleness And is adorable when she speaks. As otherworldly as her dress, She is as pretty as a picture. Her dress is tailored from silk that sheens, Her earrings fashioned from carved jades. Gold and feathers add color to her hair. Precious pearls bring glisten to her form. On patterned slippers for traveling she treads. Light as mist is the trailing frock in gauze she dons. She lingers in the nooks of the mountain Among growths of modest fragrant orchids. Suddenly, she breaks her quiescence. Now she rambles, now she plays By colorful poles of yak tails In the shade of cassia flags. Sleeves rolled up at the rapid's margin, She picks black herbs with her white hands." My heart fluttered and thundered, Filled with love and affection for her. Without a matchmaker to join us in bliss, Subtle gazes were my only messengers. To show that I would be true to my vow, I offered her my jade pendant as pledge. How impeccable my fair lady was, So well versed in etiquette and poetry. She requited my token with a fine jade, Pointing to the fathomless water in promise. Void of all pretenses and falsehood, I feared the goddess might deceive Like the one in Zheng Jiaofu's tale. Stricken by doubts and apprehensions, I composed myself and smiled no more, Restraining myself with rules of propriety. Sensing my thoughts and feelings, She faltered in hesitation. Her aura flickered, Now dim, now bright. Standing tall like a crane, She seemed about to take to the air. Along paths scented with cloves And overgrown with herbs she paced. A long heartrending cry she uttered, Plaintively voicing her eternal yearning. Celestial beings then arrived in flocks, Calling companions and beckoning to mates. Some played in the lucent water, Others hovered over the divine isles. Some gathered glinting pearls, Others collected kingfishers' plumes. Hand in hand with the Xiang goddesses, Arm in arm with that of the River Han, My love lamented Nüwa's solitude And the Herd Boy's lonely life. Her vest fluttering in the breeze, She stood hidden behind her long sleeves. Nimbler than any bird or fowl, She was here, there and everywhere. Wherever she scampered on the water, A wake of beads pursued her silk stockings. Leisurely and yet urgent, How she would move, none could predict. Advancing and yet retreating, Where she was heading, few could foretell. Her eyes twinkled like stars. Her face shone like a jade. Every time she spoke, An orchid scent preceded. So lovely and elegant was she That hunger no longer distracted. Now the Wind God lulled his winds; The River God calmed his waves; The River Lord beat his drums; And Nüwa sang her songs. With an entourage of the holy and godly, Now slowly departed the nymph's carriage Made of cloud and drawn by six dragons, Its jade bird-chimes jingling and jangling. Winged fish and water fowls were its escorts. Whales and their mates clung to its wheels. When she was past the northern islet And beyond the southern hummock, The nymph turned her head To look back with eyes limpid. Measuredly, she moved her red lips to speak Of the obliging rules of relationships, Of the cruel divide between gods and men, And of the woes of unfulfilled youth. Raising her silk sleeve up to hide the tears That were streaming down onto her lapels, She mourned for this delightful encounter That was ending in eternal separation. " Unable to requite your love in the least, I offer you this pearl from the south as keepsake. I leave my heart here with you, my lord, Although I will be away in the great depths." Suddenly, I lost sight of her. The gods were gone. So was their aura. Thence, I left the lowland for the high But my heart and mind stayed behind. Thinking back I could not help. Looking about, I found but despair. Hoping that the nymph might reappear, I sailed upstream in a swift boat, Refusing to turn instead for home. Endless and ever growing is my longing for her. Sleepless and never restful are my nights laden with rue. Dewy and frosty, I know not morning has broken. I ordered for the carriage to be readied For our homeward journey to resume. Reins in hand and high raised my whip, I dawdled, unable to bring myself to leave.
Originally written by Zhao Mengfu of Wuxing on the 5th day of the 8th month in the 6th year of the Yanyou reign (1318). Copied by Xu Zonghao (1880–1957) at the Shuangsong Yi (Double Pine Studio) on the 25th day of the 8th month in the renwu year (1942).
[Translation by Tina Liem in The Rustic Studio Collection of Chinese Paintings 陋室齋藏中國繪畫, Hong Kong: Rustic Studio Collection, 2019, cat. no. 7, pp. 27, 161–62.]
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