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Art History
Painting
Ch: Pan Lang. Chinese Zhou dynasty recluse, originally a retainer of King Mu (Ch: Muwang; Jp: Bokuō 穆王, ca. 1001-972 BC). When Pan Lang's judgment about a horse angered the ruler, he banished him to Mt. Hua (Ch: Huashan; Jp: Kazan 花山). Later, when the ruler realized his mistake, he ordered Pan Lang to return to court service. As he reluctantly left his place of banishment, which he had come to love, Pan Lang turned backward on his donkey for one last look at the landscape of Mt. Hua. It is in this pose that he is depicted. The pictorial theme was known in Japan by the early Muromachi period, and was painted several times by Unkoku Tōgan 雲谷等顔 (1547-1618; Museum of Fine Art Boston).