Stealing an Urn of Wine

Object Details

• Artist

  Qi Baishi 齊白石 (1864-1957)

• Label

  Stealing an Urn of Wine was a favorite subject of the modern master Qi Baishi, for he painted similar compositions time and again. He apparently was fond of the comical story of Bi Zhuo, an official of the Ministry of Personnel during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420) who often drank excessively. Once, Bi was so drunk that he stumbled into a neighbor’s house and continued to drink from an urn of wine. Inebriated, he fell asleep next to it. The neighbor returned to discover his servants had tied up the esteemed official as a common thief. After being released, Bi invited his neighbor to have a drink by the urn--and then he stumbled away.

• 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 5, Joseph Chang, May 7, 1998, and Joseph Chang, August 18, 1998, in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Tales of the Brush: Chinese Painting with Literary Themes (February 9 to July 27, 2008)

• 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

  1920s, 1930s

• Name

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

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Food habits, Shao F. Wang collection, Modern period (1912 - present)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings