Phoenix among rocks and flowers

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 16th--early 17th century
Medium
Tapestry
Dimensions
H x W (image): 41.8 x 64.7 cm (16 7/16 x 25 1/2 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1911.163s
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Costume and Textile
Type

Textile (mounted as an album leaf)

Keywords
China, flower, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), peony, phoenix, rock, water
Provenance

To 1911
Pang Yuanji (1864-1949), Shanghai, China, to 1911 [1]

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

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Album List, pg. 41, 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)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Pang Yuanji (C.L. Freer source) 1864-1949

Label

Weavers of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) often produced strong graphic designs. The large blocks of color and bright blue tonalities of this bold image correspond with the visual effects achieved in fahua ceramics, as well as with cloisonné. This composition features the mythological phoenix--the so-called king of birds in Chinese culture and a creature said to appear on earth only when righteousness reigns. The phoenix shown with an effulgent tree peony is an image signifying wealth and nobility.

Published References
  • Edwards Park. Treasures from the Smithsonian Institution., 1st ed. Washington and New York. p. 342.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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