Lotus 荷花圖 (冊･八頁)

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

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Bequest from the collection of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai, donated in their memory by Mr. Shao F. Wang

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1660s

• Name

  Wang, Fangyu, Wai, Sum, Wang, Shao F.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Shao F. Wang collection, Flowers, Lotus

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings