Peonies

Maker(s)
Artist: Bada Shanren 八大山人 (朱耷) (1626-1705)
Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, ca. 1699?
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 87.3 x 44.2 cm (34 3/8 x 17 3/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Bequest from the collection of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai, donated in their memory by Mr. Shao F. Wang
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1998.51
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
China, flower, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Shao F. Wang collection
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.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Shao F. Wang
Wang Fangyu 1913-1997
Sum Wai 1918-1996

Label

Bada Shanren painted this undated work for a friend as a medium of social exchange and explained his motivation in an accompanying inscription that consists of a four line poem and short postscript. The theme of the painting and poem is the shaoyao peony, a popular garden plant. According to his postscript, Bada created this work on the annual celebration of the Birthday of Flowers--a festival that occurs on the twelfth day of the second lunar month--and was evidently responding to a poem written by his friend on the subject of the crab apple, which blooms at this time of year. Bada's poem reads:

I perused the classics, unnumbered glosses from the Han,
Lord Shao could not do any better than our feast today.
I dispatch this lovely flower within its pearl of jade:
Tell people just to wait until the later days of spring.

In the first two lines, Bada is simply saying: "I have looked diligently through the texts of antiquity and can find no record of a feast as sumptuous as the one we are enjoying today on the Birthday of Flowers." In the last two lines, Bada symbolically sends this painting of a budding shaoyao peony--which blossoms during the fourth lunar month--to remind his friend that in just a few weeks it will bloom even more splendidly than even the crab apple and other second-month flowers.

Poem translated by Stephen D. Allee

Published References
  • Kristen Chiem. Paintings, Peonies, and Ming Loyalism in Qing-Dynasty China, 1644-1795. vol. 67, no. 1 Durham, NC. p. 99, fig, 10.
  • Joseph Chang, Quianshen Bai, (Catalogue) Stephen Allee. In Pursuit of Heavenly Harmony: Paintings and Calligraphy by Bada Shanren from the Bequest of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai. Exh. cat. Washington. cat. 23, pp. 110-111.
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 244-251.
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