Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Lotus and Water Birds
Lotus and Water Birds
Unidentified
Artist
Period:
Yuan
dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:
ca. 1300
Culture:
China
Medium:
Pair of
hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image
(each): 55 3/4 x 26 3/4 in. (141.6 x 67.9 cm) Overall with mounting (each): 107
1/2 x 27 1/4 in. (273.1 x 69.2 cm) Overall with knobs (each): 107 1/2 x 27 3/4
in. (273.1 x 70.5 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Imported from India, the lotus—growing
from the slime of a pond, its blossoms blooming unsullied—was linked to
Buddhist images of purity and rebirth. By the thirteenth century, naturalistic
depictions of lotus in different seasons also evoked the ephemeral nature of
physical beauty. This large-scale decorative work is by a professional painter
of the Piling School, situated near Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. The midsummer
scene (on the right) shows lotus flowers in early stages of budding and bloom,
while the autumnal scene (on the left) shows its later stages: petals falling,
leaves turning brown, and seed pods ripening. The newly sprouted water reeds of
midsummer also contrast with the late-blooming water plant and the smartweed
that has gone to seed, while the busy activity of a pair of ducks skimming the
water for food on the right is juxtaposed with two egrets resting quietly on
the left.
Bamboo and Rocks
Bamboo and Rocks
Li Kan
(Chinese, 1245–1320)
Period:
Yuan
dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:
dated
1318
Culture:
China
Medium:
Pair of
hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image
(each): 74 3/4 x 21 3/4 in. (189.9 x 55.2 cm) Overall with mounting (each): 106
3/16 x 22 3/8 in. (269.7 x 56.8 cm) Overall with knobs (each): 106 3/16 x 23
in. (269.7 x 58.4 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Garden Flowers
Garden Flowers
After Chen
Chun (Chinese, 1483–1544)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
dated
1540
Culture:
China
Medium:
Album of
sixteen paintings and one leaf of calligraphy; ink and color on paper
Dimensions:
Image
(six leaves): 12 13/16 x 22 9/16 in. (32.5 x 57.3 cm) Image (ten leaves): 13
1/8 x 22 3/4 in. (33.3 x 57.8 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Following Shen Zhou’s (1427–1509) example
of treating still-life painting as uninhibited “ink plays,” Chen Chun strove to
turn his flower paintings into spontaneous “idea writings.” Realistic flower
paintings had been a popular subject since at least the tenth century, and Chen
Chun was perhaps the greatest exponent of this genre in his time. This album,
with a rich variety of spring blossoms, treats flowers not merely as botanical
specimens but also as inevitable reminders of the brevity of life, beauty, and
material existence.
Wintry Plum (Han Mei)
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Wintry Plum (Han Mei)
Ni Jing
(Chinese, active late 14th century)
Period:
Yuan
(1271–1368)–Ming (1368–1644) dynasty
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink and pale color on paper
Dimensions:
Image:
41 15/16 x 9 3/4 in. (106.5 x 24.8 cm) Overall with mounting: 75 3/4 x 14 1/8
in. (192.4 x 35.9 cm) Overall with knobs: 75 3/4 x 15 15/16 in. (192.4 x 40.5
cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Bequest of Dorothy Graham Bennett
Plum blossoms were first depicted as an
independent subject by the eleventh-century Chan (Zen, in Japanese) monk
Zhongren Huaguang. In this work by the otherwise unknown Buddhist monk Ni Jing,
both composition and brushwork derive from the renowned Yuan-dynasty plum
painter Wang Mian (d. 1359). The plum, the first flower to appear in spring, is
celebrated along with bamboo and pine as one of the Three Friends of Winter.
Admired for its purity and hardiness, sending forth new shoots and delicate
blossoms from seemingly lifeless branches, the plum became a symbol of
survival, rejuvenation, and longevity. Here, the tight clusters of pale
blossoms and buds indicate that the plum has just begun to flower. The artist’s
poem reads:
Blossoms compete with the moon in luminosity,
One hundred of them merge and make me suspect that
snow has fragrance.
Worldly men vie in boasting fine colors,
Do not call for hand-scooped water to rinse off the pink
adornment.
Blossoms compete with the moon in luminosity,
One hundred of them merge and make me suspect that
snow has fragrance.
Worldly men vie in boasting fine colors,
Do not call for hand-scooped water to rinse off the pink
adornment.
The Pure Whiteness of Winter
The Pure Whiteness of Winter
Xu Jing
(Chinese, active first half 15th century)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
dated
1441
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
58 7/8 x 30 in. (149.5 x 76.2 cm) Overall with mounting: 107 3/4 x 37 1/4 in.
(273.7 x 94.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 107 3/4 x 41 1/4 in. (273.7 x 104.8 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Flowering through snow and cold, plum
blossoms are popular symbols of court beauties and of reclusion; as such, they
embody romance, tears, lost loves, and the eternal return of springtime. Xu
Jing entitled his painting The Pure Whiteness of Winter, partaking of a
tradition of imagery in poetry and painting that goes back one thousand years.
Bamboo in Wind
Bamboo in Wind
Xia Chang
(Chinese, 1388–1470)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
ca. 1460
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions:
Image:
80 1/16 x 23 1/2 in. (203.4 x 59.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 118 x 29 3/8 in.
(299.7 x 74.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 118 x 32 13/16 in. (299.7 x 83.3 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Bamboo, which bends without breaking, has
long been a symbol of integrity and strength. It was also a favorite subject of
Ming and Qing scholar-painters. Xia Chang, a native of the Suzhou region,
enjoyed a successful official career that led to his appointment as minister of
the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in 1457. He expanded Wang Fu's (1362–1416)
style of bamboo painting to become the leading bamboo painter of his time, famous
even in Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
Applying calligraphic techniques to painting according to the precepts established by Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), Xia Chang executed his bamboo stalks in the archaic seal-script style and his bamboo twigs in the "grass," or cursive-script, style. Xia Chang's calligraphic mode of bamboo painting was followed by many later Ming and Qing painters.
Applying calligraphic techniques to painting according to the precepts established by Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), Xia Chang executed his bamboo stalks in the archaic seal-script style and his bamboo twigs in the "grass," or cursive-script, style. Xia Chang's calligraphic mode of bamboo painting was followed by many later Ming and Qing painters.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Bamboo and Rock
Bamboo and Rock
Deng Yu
(Chinese, ca. 1300–after 1378)
Period:
Yuan
dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:
ca.
1360–67
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions:
Image:
53 3/16 x 16 5/8 in. (135.1 x 42.2 cm) Overall with mounting: 104 1/4 x 23 7/8
in. (264.8 x 60.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 104 1/4 x 27 1/8 in. (264.8 x 68.9
cm)
Classification:
Calligraphy
From the
P. Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Family Collection, Gift of Oscar L. Tang, 1991
Deng Yu, a leading late Yuan literary
Daoist, joined the Orthodox Unity sect of Daoism at the age of twelve. By 1360
he had become the abbot of a Daoist temple in Wenzhou, near the Zhejiang coast,
and in 1371 he accompanied the 42nd Celestial Master to the Ming capital, where
he repeatedly performed miracles of rainmaking.
Bamboo and Rock, executed according to the precepts of the early Yuan scholar-artist Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), demonstrates Deng's familiarity with the literati aesthetic of calligraphic painting. The bamboo leaves are done in clerical script; the stalks, in seal script; and the rocks, drawn in mixed ink tones, simulate the "flying-white" style of calligraphy. A poem inscribed by Liu Renben, the governor-general of Wenzhou under the rebel leader Fang Guozhen, establishes the date of Deng's painting:
After fog and rain, in Jiangnan,
Few friends of integrity remain.
As autumn fills the shores of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers,
Clouds paint the bamboo a deep green.
Bamboo and Rock, executed according to the precepts of the early Yuan scholar-artist Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), demonstrates Deng's familiarity with the literati aesthetic of calligraphic painting. The bamboo leaves are done in clerical script; the stalks, in seal script; and the rocks, drawn in mixed ink tones, simulate the "flying-white" style of calligraphy. A poem inscribed by Liu Renben, the governor-general of Wenzhou under the rebel leader Fang Guozhen, establishes the date of Deng's painting:
After fog and rain, in Jiangnan,
Few friends of integrity remain.
As autumn fills the shores of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers,
Clouds paint the bamboo a deep green.
Dragon Pine
Dragon Pine
Wu Boli
(Chinese, active late 14th–early 15th century)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
ca. 1400
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions:
Image:
48 x 13 1/4 in. (121.9 x 33.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 100 x 18 5/8 in. (254
x 47.3 cm) Overall with knobs: 100 x 21 in. (254 x 53.3 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Xie
Shichen (Chinese, 1487–ca. 1567)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
dated
1560
Culture:
China
Medium:
Set of
four hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper
Dimensions:
Image
(a): 126 3/8 x 37 in. (321 x 94 cm) Image (b): 127 1/4 x 36 7/8 in. (323.2 x
93.7 cm) Image (c): 126 3/4 x 36 7/8 in. (321.9 x 93.7 cm) Image (d): 126 7/8 x
36 7/8 in. (322.3 x 93.7 cm) Overall with mounting (b): 141 3/4 x 42 3/8 in.
(360 x 107.6 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
These two paintings belong to a set of
enormous landscapes depicting the four seasons. They are all similarly composed,
with large figures at the bottom and towering mountains above. Each season has
its own narrative. In the springtime scene (right), two gentlemen on horseback
cross a bridge with their servants. In the summer scene (left), travelers
struggle against a strong wind, while a gentleman in a pavilion observes the
storm.
In his paintings Xie Shichen creates spaces that are poetic rather than representational, incorporating narrative vignettes and stylistic references to past masters. Here, he skillfully blends two distinct modes of painting. The first, favored by professional painters, is that of the Zhe School, which tended toward large-scale narrative subjects. The second is ascribed to the Wu School, whose calligraphic approach to landscapes was preferred by scholar-amateurs.
In his paintings Xie Shichen creates spaces that are poetic rather than representational, incorporating narrative vignettes and stylistic references to past masters. Here, he skillfully blends two distinct modes of painting. The first, favored by professional painters, is that of the Zhe School, which tended toward large-scale narrative subjects. The second is ascribed to the Wu School, whose calligraphic approach to landscapes was preferred by scholar-amateurs.
Peacock and Hollyhocks
Peacock and Hollyhocks
Bian Lu
(Chinese, died 1356)
Period:
Yuan
dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:
mid-14th
century
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
66 7/8 x 40 1/4 in. (169.9 x 102.2 cm) Overall with mounting: 103 x 41 1/4 in.
(261.6 x 104.8 cm) Overall with knobs: 103 x 45 7/8 in. (261.6 x 116.5 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
This monumental flower-and-bird
composition shows the Uighur Bian Lu working in the highly polished tradition
of the Song Imperial Painting Academy. Only the calligraphic character of the
drawing, particularly noticeable in the rhythmic outlines of the leaves,
betrays its fourteenth-century date.
The meticulously detailed plumage of the peacock, the gritty texture of the rock, and the delicately shaded leaves and blossoms are a tour de force of representational illusionism. The bird's pose, dramatically balanced on one leg as it prepares to take another step, may refer to a famous anecdote about the Song emperor Huizong, who chided his court painters for failing to observe that when climbing, the peacock always takes the first step with its left leg.
The meticulously detailed plumage of the peacock, the gritty texture of the rock, and the delicately shaded leaves and blossoms are a tour de force of representational illusionism. The bird's pose, dramatically balanced on one leg as it prepares to take another step, may refer to a famous anecdote about the Song emperor Huizong, who chided his court painters for failing to observe that when climbing, the peacock always takes the first step with its left leg.
Perch, Grain, and Crab
Perch, Grain, and Crab
Liu Jie
(Chinese, active ca. 1470–1510)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
69 1/4 x 42 1/4 in. (175.9 x 107.3 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
From the
Collection of A. W. Bahr, Purchase, Fletcher Fund, 1947
This painting by the court master Liu Jie
juxtaposes a large perch with many smaller fish and a variety of flora and
fauna, including narcissus in bloom, lily pads, grasses, grain, a crab, and
frogs. The effect is one of civilized tranquility in which the large fish,
symbolizing a person of obvious stature, swims quietly along a peaceful
riverbank. Both the fish and grain symbolize wealth, and the overall impact of
the image is suggestive of abundance and reward. Some pictorial elements—perch,
grain, and crab—also create a visual pun with a homophonous wish for “peace and
harmony in the entire palace,” which makes it clear that this picture was
intended for the emperor.
Liu Jie’s formal signature, which gives his title as Commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, on Appointment to the Wenhua Palace, confirms that this was an imperial commission. The Wenhua Palace was one of the halls in the Forbidden City at which court painters served. Liu’s rank of commander was very near the highest to which a painter could aspire. Both Liu’s grandfather and father had also held this title as court artists, and Liu Jie would have been entitled to inherit this rank after his father’s death, which apparently occurred only a few years after Liu received his first court title in 1477.
Liu Jie’s formal signature, which gives his title as Commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, on Appointment to the Wenhua Palace, confirms that this was an imperial commission. The Wenhua Palace was one of the halls in the Forbidden City at which court painters served. Liu’s rank of commander was very near the highest to which a painter could aspire. Both Liu’s grandfather and father had also held this title as court artists, and Liu Jie would have been entitled to inherit this rank after his father’s death, which apparently occurred only a few years after Liu received his first court title in 1477.
Mandarin Ducks and Hollyhocks
Mandarin Ducks and Hollyhocks
Lü Ji
(Chinese, active late 15th century)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
68 x 39 in. (172.7 x 99.1 cm) Overall with mounting: 116 1/4 x 40 1/4 in.
(295.3 x 102.2 cm) Overall with knobs: 116 1/4 x 44 1/2 in. (295.3 x 113 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Gift of Oscar L. Tang Family, 2005
Lü Ji, a professional painter from
Zhejiang Province, worked in the Southern Song (1127–1279) ink-wash style,
which had remained popular in that region through the intervening centuries. He
was summoned to be a court painter in the Hongzhi period (1488-1505) and was
given an honorary title as an officer in the Imperial Guard.
The artist's paintings, done in a dashing, descriptive style highly regarded at court, were derided by Shen Zhou (1427–1509), the leading scholar-painter of the time, as being merely works "of the hand"; Shen considered his own calligraphic drawings to be products "of the heart." he contrast between the "hand" and the "heart" points up the presumed difference between the works of the "professional" artists and those of the "scholar-amateur" painters of the Ming period.
The artist's paintings, done in a dashing, descriptive style highly regarded at court, were derided by Shen Zhou (1427–1509), the leading scholar-painter of the time, as being merely works "of the hand"; Shen considered his own calligraphic drawings to be products "of the heart." he contrast between the "hand" and the "heart" points up the presumed difference between the works of the "professional" artists and those of the "scholar-amateur" painters of the Ming period.
Autumn Landscape with Herons and Ducks
Autumn Landscape with Herons and Ducks
Lü Ji
(Chinese, active late 15th century)
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
58 1/8 x 21 1/2 in. (147.6 x 54.6 cm) Overall with mounting: 106 1/4 x 27 1/2
in. (269.9 x 69.9 cm) Overall with knobs: 106 1/4 x 30 in. (269.9 x 76.2 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Bequest of Dorothy Graham Bennett, 1980
Fish at Play
Fish at Play
Attributed to
Zhao Kexiong (Chinese, active early 12th century)
Period:
Southern
Song dynasty (1127–1279)
Culture:
China
Medium:
Album
leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image: 8
7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (22.5 x 25.1 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
During the reign (1101–25) of Emperor
Huizong, the cultivation of rare aquarium fish came into vogue, and playful,
splashing fish in plant-filled waters became a popular subject. In the Xuanhe
huapu (preface dated 1120), the catalogue of Huizong’s painting collection, the
author of the essay "Fishes and Dragons” decries still-life
representations of fish as “objects on a kitchen table” but praises pictures of
fish that “play in the wide expanse and dive in the deep.” In Fish at Play,
where six slim, nimble fish flip and weave through the grasses, the painter’s
genius for suggesting life and movement by the graceful deployment of elegant,
curving lines is fully in evidence. Flawlessly executed, the image is at once a
metaphor for and a re-creation of natural life at its freest and most
spontaneous.
The Pleasures of Fishes
The Pleasures of Fishes
Zhou
Dongqing (Chinese, active late 13th century)
Period:
Yuan
dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:
dated
1291
Culture:
China
Medium:
Handscroll;
ink and color on paper
Dimensions:
Image:
12 1/8 x 19 ft 4 in. (30.8 cm x 593.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 12 5/8 x 441
3/4 in. (32.1 x 1122 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Zhou Dongqing was a friend of Wen
Tianxiang (1236-1283), the famous Song loyalist and a fellow native of Jiangsi
Province.
Zhou's painting was inspired by a passage from the Daoist classic Zhuangzi (ca. fourth century b.c.), in which Zhuangzi, strolling along a river, observes, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!" His companion Huizi remarks, "You're not a fish-how do you know what fish enjoy?" Zhuangzi replies, "You are not I, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"
In the inscription at the end of the painting the artist has written:
Not being fish, how do we know their happiness?
But we may express our feelings in our painting.
In order to probe the subtleties of the ordinary,
We must describe the indescribable.
Painted on paper instead of silk, the work's muted colors and flat patterns of pale ink wash evoke a mood of detachment and withdrawal, which Zhou's inscription reinforces. Born in Linjiang, not far from the Daoist center at Mount Longhu (Dragon Tiger Mountain), Zhou may have been strongly influenced by Daoism.
Zhou's painting was inspired by a passage from the Daoist classic Zhuangzi (ca. fourth century b.c.), in which Zhuangzi, strolling along a river, observes, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!" His companion Huizi remarks, "You're not a fish-how do you know what fish enjoy?" Zhuangzi replies, "You are not I, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"
In the inscription at the end of the painting the artist has written:
Not being fish, how do we know their happiness?
But we may express our feelings in our painting.
In order to probe the subtleties of the ordinary,
We must describe the indescribable.
Painted on paper instead of silk, the work's muted colors and flat patterns of pale ink wash evoke a mood of detachment and withdrawal, which Zhou's inscription reinforces. Born in Linjiang, not far from the Daoist center at Mount Longhu (Dragon Tiger Mountain), Zhou may have been strongly influenced by Daoism.
Finches and Bamboo
Finches and Bamboo
Emperor Huizong
(Chinese, 1082–1135; r. 1100–25)
Period:
Northern
Song dynasty (960–1127)
Culture:
China
Medium:
Handscroll;
ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
13 1/4 x 21 3/4 in. (33.7 x 55.4 cm) Overall with mounting: 13 3/4 x 330 5/16
in. (34.9 x 839 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Huizong was the eighth emperor of the Song
dynasty and the most artistically accomplished of his imperial line. Finches
and Bamboo exemplifies the realistic style of flower-and-bird painting
practiced at Huizong’s academy. Whether making a study from nature or illustrating
a line of poetry, however, the emperor valued capturing the spirit of a subject
over literal representation. Here the minutely observed finches are imbued with
the vitality of their living counterparts. Drops of lacquer added to the
birds’eyes impart a final lifelike touch.
Sparrows, Plum Blossoms, and Bamboo
Sparrows, Plum Blossoms, and Bamboo
Unidentified
Artist
Period:
Southern
Song dynasty (1127–1279)
Date:
late
12th century
Culture:
China
Medium:
Fan
mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
10 1/8 x 10 1/2 in. (25.7 x 26.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 in.
(39.4 x 39.4 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Crane in a Bamboo Grove
Crane in a Bamboo Grove
Unidentified
Artist
Period:
Ming
dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
14th–early
15th century
Culture:
China
Medium:
Hanging
scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:
Image:
65 5/16 x 39 11/16 in. (165.9 x 100.8 cm) Overall with mounting: 65 5/16 x 39
11/16 in. (165.9 x 100.8 cm) Overall with knobs: 118 1/4 x 49 1/2 in. (300.4 x
125.7 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
A favorite image in Chinese society and a
familiar presence in imperial gardens as well as refined scholarly retreats,
cranes were also renowned as the vehicles of Daoist immortals. Their long life
span and loyalty to a single mate made them symbols of longevity and
faithfulness. Here, a Manchurian crane, identified by its distinctive red
forehead, strolls through a corner of the palace garden. Stopping in midstride
and turning its head, the bird has just been startled by a branch of bamboo
that has brushed against its tail feathers.
One of only a handful of such large-scale images of birds to survive from the late Yuan or early Ming dynasty, this painting derives its subject from a composition by the emperor Huizong (r. 1100–25), who painted a set of six cranes in different poses. The complex branch structure of the twisting bamboo and the intricate detail of the bird's plumage-with every filament of the feathers carefully delineated-reveal a level of naturalistic description that predates the more conventionalized images of cranes created by the Ming court painter Bian Wenjin (ca. 1354–1428).
One of only a handful of such large-scale images of birds to survive from the late Yuan or early Ming dynasty, this painting derives its subject from a composition by the emperor Huizong (r. 1100–25), who painted a set of six cranes in different poses. The complex branch structure of the twisting bamboo and the intricate detail of the bird's plumage-with every filament of the feathers carefully delineated-reveal a level of naturalistic description that predates the more conventionalized images of cranes created by the Ming court painter Bian Wenjin (ca. 1354–1428).
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