Calligraphy Scroll Item Number: N1.572 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
A hanging scroll painting of five main vertical lines of Chinese characters written in lacquer script in black ink on silk with two smaller vertical lines on the side, which includes the artist signature and his age. One red seal is on the top corner while two red seals are at the opposite bottom corner. The calligraphy has a cream-coloured border of patterned fabric. There is a semi-cylindrical rod at the top with a beige cord bound by metal wire and cream-coloured fabric with a brown cloth ribbon. There is a cylindrical rod weight at the bottom covered with blue, red, and yellow patterned fabric.
History Of Use
A hanging scroll painting by Jin Nong 金農 (1687-1763). This calligraphy is done in the lacquer script that derived from early medieval Chinese stele inscriptions, which Jin Nong developed. This radical and individualistic style, notable for its angular brush strokes, marks an important development in the history of Chinese calligraphy. This piece was written after a conversation between Jin Nong and his student Luo Ping (羅聘), another of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou (揚州八怪)—a group of artists active in Yangzhou during the Qianlong era (1735-96) of the Qing dynasty.
Iconographic Meaning
The text laments the decline of Yangzhou as represented by the fate of a tea house there and a faded painting on its walls.
Narrative
Purchased from a dealer in Macao by Dr. Ping-ti Ho of the UBC Asian Studies Dept., in 1961.
Item History
- Made by Jin Nong (Maker) in China during 1760
- Collected during 1961
- Owned by Ping-Ti Ho before September 1961
- Received from Ping-Ti Ho (Seller) and Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation (Funding source) during September 1961
What
- Name
- Calligraphy Scroll
- Identification Number
- N1.572
- Type of Item
- scroll
- Material
- silk fibre and paint
- Manufacturing Technique
- painted
- Overall
- height 231.5 cm, width 44.5 cm, depth 3.5 cm
Who
- Culture
- Chinese
- Creator
- Jin Nong (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- Ping-Ti Ho
- Received from
- Ping-Ti Ho (Seller) and Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- China
When
- Creation Date
- during 1760
- Collection Date
- during 1961
- Ownership Date
- before September 1961
- Acquisition Date
- during September 1961
Other
- Item Classes
- paintings
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 0060/0001