Chest slightly exposed and barefoot, he is seated upon the leopard skin mat beneath the graceful boughs of the lovely willow tree. At his side an ancient writing scroll, in front of him a wine vessel. Bathed in the warm glow of mild intoxication he seems poised to take writing brush in hand and escape into a world of flowing verse. The reclusive hermit of the willow shade; his name a mystery to us.
Despite the fact that a hermit should naturally remain anonymous, the Ching dynasty emperor and patron of the arts, Ch'ien Lung (1736-1796 A.D.), made an attempt to guess his elusive identity. Taking writing brush in hand, the emperor applied an inscription that concluded if this were a painting set in the T'ang dynasty (618-907 A.D.) then the subject was most likely the classic poet, Li Po. If, however, it were a scene from the earlier Tsin dynasty (265-420 A.D.) it would be none other than the poet T'ao Yuan-ming. No matter if it were Li Po or T'ao Yuan-ming, he added, the hermit pictured was a classic representation of the Chinese longing to be in harmony with nature. From the delicate willows depicted in the idyllic scene, it seems evident that the subject is most likely the reclusive character immortalized by T'ao Yuan-ming in his piece, "Wu Liu Hsiensheng" (Mister Five Willows). This classic of ancient Chinese literature relates in concise, clear prose a man who doesn't know his name, only that beside his home are five willow trees. Quiet and subdued, he does not seek fame or position. While he enjoys study, he does not seek to understand too much. Success and failure are taken in stride, he does not concern himself with such petty worries. His days are spent with wine glass and writing brush, composing verse to entertain himself.
Formerly a magistrate for P'eng Tse County, T'ao Yuan-ming resigned after only 89 days of service. When told that he must take care to dress properly when going to greet a visiting official he proclaimed, "How can I bow for five bushels of rice" (the magistrate's salary). He subsequently resigned from his post.
Although reclusive, T'ao Yuan-ming made an outstanding contribution to later generations of Chinese literature.
The picture entitled, "Liu Yin Yin Kao Shih" is 65.4 centimeters in length and 40.2 centimeters in width. Besides the inscription by the emperor Ch'ien Lung there are no other distinguishing marks.
(Gerald Hatherly)
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