Description
Poet Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE) turned down a career as an official in politically turbulent times to return to his home estate, northwest of Mount Lu, to write poetry and enjoy his garden and wine. As he grew chrysanthemums, Tao is associated with this flower.
The artist Chen Hongshou, active in Zhejiang province, suffered through the violent transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty around 1644. This painting of chrysanthemums alludes to the poet who lived a millennium earlier during similarly fraught times.
The artist Chen Hongshou, active in Zhejiang province, suffered through the violent transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty around 1644. This painting of chrysanthemums alludes to the poet who lived a millennium earlier during similarly fraught times.
Provenance
Weng Tonghe 翁同龢 [1830–1904], by descent to Wango H. C. Weng; (Wango H. C. Weng 翁萬戈 [1918–2020], Lyme, NH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1979); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1979–)
Accession Number
1979.27.2.17
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Overall: 30.2 x 26.7 cm (11 7/8 x 10 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund
