Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden

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Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 16th century
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 29.7 x 217.7 cm (11 11/16 x 85 11/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1911.523
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Handscroll

Keywords
baimiao style, bamboo, China, garden, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), rock, ruan, writing
Provenance

To 1911
Li Wenqing (circa 1869-1931), Shanghai to 1911 [1]

From 1911 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing, in China, in 1911 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Reserved Makimono List, L. 765, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. This object was kept in the Reserved Section until 1921, when it was given a regular registration number.
This object exhibits seals, colophons, or inscriptions that could provide additional information regarding the object’s history; see Curatorial Remarks in the object record for further details.

[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)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Li Wenqing (C.L. Freer source) ca. 1869-1931

Published References
  • Ellen Mae Johnston Laing. Scholars and Sages: A Study in Chinese Figure Paintings. Ann Arbor, 1967-1986. .
  • Ellen Mae Johnston Laing. Real or Ideal: The Problem of the 'Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden' in Chinese Art. vol. 88, no. 3 New Haven, July - September 1968. p. 421.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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