Rice Paddies and Egrets, after a Poem by Wang Wei 《白鷺水田圖》

Object Details

• Artist

  Li Shizhuo 李世倬 (1690-1770)

• Author

  Wang Wei (ca. 701-761) (poem)

• Label

  According to the artist's inscription, the painting on this fan was inspired by a famous poem from the Tang dynasty (618-907)-in particular, the third and fourth lines of an eight-line poem by the poet, painter, and statesman Wang Wei (ca. 701-761), who is widely celebrated for his closely observed descriptions of his country estate at Wang River. A deep sense of tranquillity pervades Wang's works, and a later admirer once commented that there were paintings in his poems, and poems in his paintings. The poem that inspired this painting is titled Composed at My Wang River Estate after Prolonged Rain. The first four lines read:

  Prolonged rain in the empty forest, our smoky fire burns slowly,

  As we steam some greens and millet to supply the eastern fields.

  In the vast expanse, white herons fly above the flooded paddies,

  A golden oriole warbles from the murky shadows of a summer tree.

  Translation by Stephen D. Allee

• Provenance

  To 1960

  Chen Rentao (1906-1968), Hong Kong, and Frank Caro, C. T. Loo & Co., New York, to 1960 [1]

  From 1960 to 1979

  Department of Treasury, U. S. Customs Service [2]

  From 1979

  Freer Gallery of Art, from October 23, 1979 [3]

  [1] This object is one of a group of 88 objects (F80.104-F80.180, FSC-S-22-25 and FSC-O-11a-h) seized in 1960 by the U.S. Customs Service, Department of the Treasury, from the dealer and collector Chen Rentao, Hong Kong and Frank Caro of C. T. Loo & Co., New York.

  The objects were deemed to have been introduced into the commerce of the United States in violation of 19 U.S.C. 1592 (Trade with Communist China).

  [2] See note 1. The object’s ownership title is based on the settlement agreement, dated November 1971, between the United States, Chen Tung Siang Wen, the executrix for Chen Rentao Estate, and Frank Caro, copy in object file.

  See U.S. Customs Service Memorandum, April 23, 1979 and a letter from Thadeus Rojek, Chief Counsel, Department of the Treasury, U.S. Custom Service, to Marie C. Malaro, Assistant General Counsel, Smithsonian Institution, dated November 29, 1979, copy in object file. The objects remained in the custody of the U.S. Customs Service office in New York until 1979.

  [3] The object was transferred to the Freer Gallery of Art on October 23, 1979.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Seasons: Chinese Landscapes (December 18, 2010 to June 12, 2011)

  Work and Commerce: Everyday Life in Chinese Painting (June 19, 2004 to January 17, 2005)

  Chinese Paintings: Recent Accessions (March 2 to August 2, 1984)

  Chinese Paintings: Recent Accessions (March 20 to October 13, 1982)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Chen Rentao 陳仁濤 (1906-1968)

  Frank Caro (1904-1980)

  U.S. Customs Service

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Transfer from the United States Customs Service, Department of the Treasury

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1740s

• Name

  U.S. Customs Service, Caro, Frank, Chen, Rentao

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Fans, Landscapes, Art, Scholar, Farms, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Summer, Poetry, Herons, Rice

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings