Ink orchids

Maker(s)
Artist: Xihe Zhiyin
Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, ca. 1692
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 30.9 x 54.1 cm (12 3/16 x 21 5/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Peggy and Richard M. Danziger in honor of Pauline and Johnny Falk
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1997.26a-f
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
China, orchid, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Provenance

Mathias Komor, New York [1]

To 1962
Mr. and Mrs. Myron S. Falk, Jr., New York City, to 1962 [2]

From 1962 to 1997
Peggy and Richard M. Danziger, New York, given by Mr. and Mrs. Myron Falk in 1962 [3]

From 1997
Freer Gallery of Art, given by Peggy and Richard M. Danziger in 1997

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Note 2, Joseph Chang, September 30, 1997, in the object record.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Peggy and Richard M. Danziger
Myron S. Falk, Jr. 1906-1992
Mathias Komor 1909-1984

Label

The orchid's long and gracefully fluttering leaves often overshadow its inconspicuous flowers. The delicate flowers represent the purity of seclusion for scholars. Orchids grow untended-like the scholar who cultivates his own talents but is unrecognized by others. The blossoms exude a subtle fragrance that symbolizes the purity of men. This painting was likely executed by a Chinese Buddhist monk of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism. In the 1650s, a large number of monks migrated from China to Japan after the fall of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the foreign Manchurian government.

Published References
  • Ni Yibin. Symbols, Art, and Language from the Land of the Dragon: The Cultural History of 100 Chinese Characters. London. pp. 14-15.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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