Fishing on an Autumn River
Mount: 97 1/2 × 29 3/8 inches (247.65 × 74.6 cm)
- 202
“Frost fell on the reed; the air of the water is chilly.
Shadows of the autumn trees in the lake reflect the yellow color on the dresses.
When the white duckweeds and the red knotweed blossoms spread the fragrance,
A small boat is fishing with the setting sun.”
A gentleman, curiously portrayed here in a court robe and cap on a fishing skiff, mimics a fisherman. In Chinese painting, a fisherman is often a metaphor for a lofty scholar recharging his spirits in nature. Fishing alone on a tranquil autumn day also suggests elegance and nobility, qualities that would elevate a person’s image. This fisherman could represent the scholar-official who commissioned the painting.
Dr. Victoria Contag von Winterfeldt (1906-1973), Munich, Germany, by April 1952-1973 [1];
By descent to her daughter, Beatrix Freifrau Riedesel zu Eisenbach, 1973-75;
Purchased from Beatrix Freifrau Riedesel zu Eisenbach by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1975.
NOTES:
[1] Victoria von Winterfeldt was a sinologist at the University of Mainz. This object was on loan from her to the Nelson-Atkins from April 1952 until her death in 1973.
