Object Details
- Artist
- Bada Shanren 八大山人 (朱耷) (1626-1705)
- Label
- This exquisite album of ink-lotuses is among the earliest surviving works by Bada Shanren. Painted while the artist was still living as a monk, the eight leaves bear many of his Buddhist names--such as Fajue, Chuanqi, and Ren'an--either in signatures or in seal impressions. Symbolizing Buddhist ideals of purity and rebirth, lotuses remained an important subject for Bada throughout his career, and he constantly varied his use of the flower as a compositional element.
- Here he has left the center of most compositions void, with the plants seeming to dangle or thrust into the picture from outside the frame. Some commentators have suggested that such fragmentary images indicate that the world was imperfect in the eyes of this former prince, who was then living clandestinely under the alien Manchu regime. Whatever the validity of such a psychological reading, these paintings are a glowing testament to the enormous talent and creativity of this unique individual during his early years as an artist and presage his subsequent transition from a figure of Ming royalty turned Buddhist monk into a professional Qing-dynasty painter and calligrapher.
- Provenance
- To 1997
- Wang Fangyu (1913-1997) and Sum Wai (1918-1996), to 1997 [1]
- To 1998
- Shao F. Wang, New York and Short Hills, NJ, by descent, to 1998 [2]
- From 1998
- Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Shao F. Wang in 1998
- Notes:
- [1] According to Curatorial Note 3, Joseph Chang and Stephen D. Allee, May 7, 1998, and Joseph Chang and Stephen D. Allee, August 18, 1998, in the object record.
- [2] See note 1.
- Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Enigmas: The Art of Bada Shanren (1626-1705) (June 20, 2015 to January 3, 2016)
- Seasons: Chinese Flowers (July 2, 2011 to January 8, 2012)
- In Pursuit of Heavenly Harmony: Paintings and Calligraphy by Bada Shanren (1626-1705) from the Bequest of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai (April 26 to October 13, 2003)
- Previous custodian or owner
- Wang Fangyu (1913-1997)
- Sum Wai (1918-1996)
- Shao F. Wang
- Credit Line
- Bequest from the collection of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai, donated in their memory by Mr. Shao F. Wang
- ca. 1665
- Period
- Qing dynasty
- Accession Number
- F1998.53.1-8
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (.1: image): 25.4 x 33.6 cm (10 x 13 1/4 in)
- Origin
- China
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- flower
- Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
- lotus
- China
- Chinese Art
- Shao F. Wang collection
- Record ID
- fsg_F1998.53.1-8
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye39ef934f9-cb70-4433-be4a-863ec05d9ed5
