Red Thread Steals a Gold Box

Maker(s)
Artist: Formerly attributed to Zhou Wenjing (傳)周文靖 (active 1430s-1460s)
Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, 19th century
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 1.5 x 39 cm (9/16 x 15 3/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1911.264
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)

Keywords
China, portrait, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), woman
Provenance

To 1911
Wen Yaw-sai, China, to 1911 [1]

From 1911 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Wen Yaw-sai, in China, in 1911 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 824, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[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.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Wen Yaw-sai (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Based on the box she is carryong, the woman depicted in the painting is not the famous Mulan, but rather Red Thread (Hong Xian 紅線), heroine of a famous Tang dynasty story (quanqi), translated in The Golden Casket: Chinese Novellas of Two Millenia (Penguin, ), pp. 148–55.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. 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 Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use