Beggars and Street Characters

1516

Zhou Chen

Zhou Chen (Chinese, c. 1450-c. 1536)

Chinese Art

Beggars and Street Characters, 1516. Zhou Chen (Chinese, c. 1450-c. 1536). Handscroll, ink and light color on paper; overall: 31.9 x 244.5 cm (12 9/16 x 96 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1964.94 Although Zhou Chen's original composition was an album of 24 figures, today it is mounted as two handscrolls, one in the Cleveland collection and one in the Honolulu Museum of Art.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Zhou Chen
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: handscroll, ink and light color on paper
Medium: handscroll, ink, light, color, paper
Dimensions: Overall: 31.9 x 244.5 cm (12 9/16 x 96 1/4 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: 題: 周臣流氓圖. 古堇趙鶴琴 [印] 老鶴臨池; 鵝池軒 Translation: Title on frontispiece by Zhao Heqin 趙鶴琴 (1895-1971): Zhou Chen Liu Mang Tu [seal] Lao he lin chi; E chi xuan Inscription: 正德丙子秋七月，閒窗無事，偶記素見市道丐者種種態度。乘筆硯之便，率爾圖寫。雖無足觀，亦可以助警勵世俗云。東邨周臣記 [印]東邨; 舜卿; 鵝場散人 Translation: Artist's inscription, signature, and 3 seals, at end of scroll: In the autumn season, the seventh month of the year bingzi during the Zhengde reign [1516], I was sitting by the window without much to do. By chance I remembered what I had seen in our city’s streets, the many different sorts of beggars and their appearances. Taking advantage of a ready brush and the inkstone around me, I casually sketched [their appearances]. Even though the results were not worthy, they could still be of some use in alerting people about their presence. Recorded by Dongcun, Zhou Chen. [seals] Dongcun; Shunqing; E chang san ren. Inscription: 吳中東邨周君，善丹青，尤長於人物。此圖其所見盛市丐者之狀種種，各盡其態，觀者絕倒。嗟乎，今之晝夜乞哀以求富貴者，安得起周君而貌之耶。臥雲徵君出示，余漫題其後。甲子歲十月吳門黃姬水 [印] 士雅山人; 另一印不詳 Translation: 1 colophon, dated 1564, and 2 seals of Huang Jishui 黃姬水 (1509-1574): Master Zhou Dongcun [Zhou Chen] of the Wu district was skilled at painting. He was especially skilled at figural subjects. This scroll depicts an assortment of beggars in their differing appearances in a comprehensive manner. Viewers fall completely under the [artist’s] beguiling portrayals. Alas, there are those who night and day seek their fortunes, where could they find another Master Zhou to have their portraits done? The distinguished gentleman Woyun brought out the painting to show me. I casually wrote a few words on it. The tenth month of the jiazi year [1564]. [seal] Shi ya shan ren; another seal undecipherable. Inscription: 是冊凡數種。其飢寒流離疲癃殘疾之狀，種種之異。觀此而不惻然心傷者，非仁人也。計正德丙子逆瑾之流毒已數年。而[江]彬 [錢] 寧輩肆虐方熾。意分符剖竹諸君，亦鮮有能撫字其民者。然則舜卿此作，殆與鄭君流民圖同意。其有補於治道者不淺，要不可以墨戲忽之也。長洲張風翼題 Translation: 1 colophon and 3 seals of Zhang Fengyi 張風翼 (1527-1613): This album(s) contains several sets of figures. They revealed the varied condition of these vagabonds, suffering from hunger, cold, fatigue, sickness, and crippling conditions. Those who view it without feeling sympathy are not men of kind hearts. Considering the year of 1516, it was when the treacherous Liu Jin’s ill-effects lingered on for several more years, and when Jiang Bin and Qian Ning were at their apogee. Even those with power and authority could hardly impart any justice to the populace at large. By this reckoning, could it be that Shunqing [Zhou Chen] painted this along the same idea as Zheng Xia’s Rootless Migrants? [If so], it too could have given assistance to those ruling parties, and should not be merely deemed as worthless inkplay! Inscribed by Zhang Fengyi of Changzhou. Inscription: 東村此筆，蓋圖寫飢寒乞丐之態，以警世俗耳。而質山 [黃姬水]欲其寫昏夜乞哀，而靈墟[張鳳翼]則擬之於安上門圖。二君之見，其各有所指哉。昔唐六如每見周筆，輒稱曰：周先生！蓋深服其神妙之不可及。若此冊者，信非他人可能而有符於六如之心伏矣。豈易得耶。若黃、張之指，則又論於畫之外，不在於形似筆墨之旨也。萬歷丁丑十二月三日茂苑文嘉 Translation: 1 colophon, dated 1577, and 1 seal of Wen Jia 文嘉 (1501-1583): This painting by Dongcun [Zhou Chen], which portrays the beggars suffering from cold and hunger, was to alert social consciousness. By contrast, Huang Jishui demanded a further portrayal of those seeking wealth and fortune night and day; whereas Zheng Fengyi compared it to a work presented all the way to the imperial might. These two gentlemen obviously had their own opinions. [However], in the past, when Tang Yin encountered Zhen Chen’s paintings, he [could not help] but exclaim: “Ah, Master Zhou!” This was because he truly admired those paintings [by his teacher], which often attained the height of being divine and wondrous, far beyond what he himself could accomplish. As far as this album is [these albums are] concerned, it simply is not possible that any other artist could have done this in the way that caused Tang Yin’s unfaltering admiration. Such an album is [albums are] truly rare! As far as Zhang and Huang are concerned, what they talked about are extrinsic to painting, and lie beyond the aim of brush and ink. The third day, twelfth month of dingchou year of Wanli [1577].
Departments: Chinese Art
Accession Number: 1964.94
Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
Exhibitions: Year in Review (1964), Portraiture: The Image of the Individual, Images of the Mind, Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art, Human Images, Ji Yunfei: Last Days of Village Wen, Facing the Ancestors: Chinese Portraits and Figure Painting – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c, <em>Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting</em>. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 10-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982)., <em>Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 122)</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 23-October 27, 2003).
Rights Statement: CC0