The Five Ancients

Detail of a pattern
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Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    15th-early 16th century
  • Geography

    China
  • Material

    Ink and color on silk
  • Dimension

    H x W (image): 163.7 x 221.5 cm (64 7/16 x 87 3/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1917.128
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1917.128

Object Details

  • Artist

    Formerly attributed to Li Congxun (active early 12th century)
  • Label

    Accompanied by animals that symbolize longevity, the five elderly gentlemen depicted in this painting may represent China's Five Sacred Mountains, the Five Elements of the Cosmos, or the Five Oldsters of Suiyang, high-ranking ministers of the eleventh century who were admired for serving in office past age eighty. The spirit of the Five Sacred Mountains are associated with the immortals. Originally, the painting was larger. Mounted in a wooden frame, it may have been used as a screen placed behind an honored person's chair.
  • Provenance

    To 1917
    Li Wenqing (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1917 [1]
    From 1917 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing, in New York, in 1917 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 1174, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, Voucher No. 18, December 1916.
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    On Becoming Immortal (May 9, 1993 to August 15, 1994)
    Chinese Art (May 9 to November 29, 1993)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Li Wenqing 李文卿 (ca. 1869-1931) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    China
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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