Chrysanthemums and Pine Tree

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Maker(s)
Artist: Wen Zhengming ζ–‡εΎ΅ζ˜Ž (1470-1559)
Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 1541
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 31.6 x 75.8 cm (12 7/16 x 29 13/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase β€” Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1943.10
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Handscroll

Keywords
bamboo, China, chrysanthemum, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), pine tree, tree
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

A grove, bordered by pine trees, overflows with masses of chrysanthemum and young bamboo. Individually, chrysanthemum is associated with vigor, pine trees with longevity, and bamboo with resilience. But as a symbolic pair, images of pine trees and chrysanthemums often allude to Tao Yuanming's (365-427) famous poem "Returning Home." After serving in government for little more than eighty days, Tao realized it was a disastrous mismatch and resigned, returning home. The painter Wen Zhengming, a Ming dynasty master known for his evocative landscapes, likewise once served in the government but spurned that life to return home. His painting of chrysanthemums and a pine tree alludes to Tao's poem and suggests the moral superiority of a life lived in seclusion:

Return home!
My fields and garden will be covered with weeds;
. . .
The three paths have become overgrown,
But pines and chrysanthemums remain.


Translation from A. R. Davis, Tao Yuan-ming (AD 365-427): His Works and Their Meaning, 2 vols. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983).

Published References
  • Suzuki Kei. Chugoku kaiga sogo zuroku [Comprehensive Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Painting]. 5 vols., Tokyo, 1982-1983. vol. 1: pp. 204-205.
  • Nakata Yujiro, Fu Shen. O-bei shuzo Chugoku hosho meiseki shu [Masterpieces of Chinese Calligraphy in American and European Collections]. 6 vols., Tokyo, 1981-1983. vol. 5: pls. 51-53, II.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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