Shrimps

Object Details

• Artist

  Qi Baishi 齊白石 (1864-1957)

• Calligrapher

  Zhou Huangxi

• Label

  The painting depicts six shrimps swimming toward the lower left corner. Qi Baishi's inscription, which includes a dedication to Mr. Zhou Huangxi, is signed Qi Huang, the name given to Qi by his teacher, Hu Zichuo, in 1889. The painting is not dated, but the inscription in the upper left, written in tiny characters by Zhou Huangxi, describes the circumstances under which Qi Baishi executed the composition for him. The inscription says:

  "In the year 1931, I and Baishi both resided in Peking, visiting each other quite often. One day the old gentleman saw the white fan in my hand, laughed and said to me: 'Why not paint a few brushstrokes on it?' So he took the fan, rapidly painted several shrimp with a big brush and returned the fan to me. He seemed very pleased with his painting. The ink shrimp was the old gentleman's specialty. With just a few brushstrokes, it seemed alive. This fan painting is really one of his best examples. In the year 1961, Zhou Huangxi recorded at Qingang.'"

• Provenance

  1931-?

  Zhou Huangxi, acquired from the artist in Peking (present-day Beijing), China [1]

  ?-?

  Ownership information unknown [2]

  By 1968-1987

  Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), method of acquisition unknown [3]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler [4]

  Notes:

  [1] According to the inscription on the object written by Zhou Huangxi in 1961, Zhou Huangxi and Qi Baishi both resided in Peking (present-day Beijing) in 1931 and visited each other often. During one visit in 1931, Qi Baishi took this fan from Zhou Huangxi and painted the six shrimp onto it. Since Zhou Huangxi’s inscription is dated 1961 and the Arthur M. Sackler collection number “68.5.1” was assigned to this object, it is likely that this object transferred ownership sometime in or after 1961 before entering Sackler’s collection in 1968.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler was a physician, medical publisher, pharmaceutical marketer, and collector of Asian art.

  [4] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.

  Research updated January 30, 2023

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

  Pavilions and Immortal Mountains: Chinese Decorative Art and Paintings (September 28, 1987 to February 28, 1988)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Zhou Huangxi

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1930s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Zhou, Huangxi

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Fans, Art, Chinese Art, Modern period (1912 - present), Shrimp

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings