Chrysanthemums and Bamboo among Rocks

Artist Wang Wu (Chinese, 1632–1690)

Date1675

MediumHandscroll: ink on paper

DimensionsImage: 9 7/8 x 70 1/4 inches (25.1 x 178.4 cm)

CultureChina

PeriodCh'ing dynasty

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Professor Ray J. Wu, in honor of Daisy Yen Wu, and in memory of Hsien Wu

Terms

Paintings
Bamboo
Chrysanthemums
Flowers
Inscriptions
Plants
Rock
Paper
Chinese

Object number84.105.002

Label CopyThe Suzhou artist Wang Wu was born into an aristocratic family and educated at the National University but did not sit for civil service examinations. Instead, he became a collector and connoisseur of paintings who specialized in bird-and-flower subjects for his own art. Based on the artist’s poem inscribed at the end of the handscroll, the painting was created for a celebration of the Double Ninth Festival. During this autumn period the chrysanthemum takes center stage, admired both for its beauty and as a symbol of duration and long life because it is in full blossom when other flowers have withered. The longevity theme is further enhanced here by the inclusion of rocks, which are as old as earth itself, and bamboo, which is an emblem of vitality. ("Tradition, Transmission, and Transformation in East Asian Art," curated by Cornell PhD student Yuhua Ding under the supervision of Ellen Avril and presented at the Johnson Museum January 23-June 12, 2016)

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