2-744-594 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Hermit Xu You Resting by a Stream, 1400s. The subject of this painting, Xu You, is an ancient worthy and reclusive figure who, when offered the throne by the legendary emperor Yao, refused it and became a farmer under Mount Ji. And when the emperor offered him a post overseeing the Nine Territories (as China was known in ancient times), he went to the River Ying to cleanse his ears from such an unwelcome proposition. This painting portrays Xu You by the side of a river, calm and composed.