Artwork

Album of Landscape Paintings Illustrating Old Poems: Two Women with Needlework in a Garden

Album of Landscape Paintings Illustrating Old Poems: Two Women with Needlework in a Garden is an unspecified painting by the Qing dynasty painting artist Hua Yan. It dates from 1745 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The composition depicts two women engaged in needlework within a garden, framed by a solitary tree that anchors the landscape.

The album leaf, painted in 1745 by Hua Yan, is executed on paper in ink with delicate colour washes. The composition depicts two women engaged in needlework within a garden, framed by a solitary tree that anchors the landscape. Hua Yan's brushwork combines fine linear detail with soft tonal gradations, creating a balanced spatial depth and a muted palette that emphasises the intimate activity. The work survives in its original album format and is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

History & Provenance

The album leaf Album of Landscape Paintings Illustrating Old Poems: Two Women with Needlework in a Garden was created in 1745 by the Chinese painter Hua Yan (1682–1756). It forms part of a series of landscape paintings illustrating classical poems, reflecting the artistic practice of the Qing period. According to the Cleveland Museum of Art, the album entered the collection in 1982 and is catalogued under accession number 1982.68.6, where it has remained since.

The piece was produced in China, painted on paper, and exemplifies the landscape genre. The available sources do not list specific exhibition dates or a history of public display for this particular leaf.

Overview

This painting, titled Album of Landscape Paintings Illustrating Old Poems: Two Women with Needlework in a Garden, was created by the artist Hua Yan in 1745. It is a component of a larger series of works, and it is currently held in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art. The piece exemplifies 18th-century Chinese landscape and figure painting, presenting a tranquil domestic scene within a natural setting.

Subject & Meaning

The artwork depicts two women seated beneath a tree, engaged in needlework at a low table. Behind them, a winding path leads into a rocky hillside sparsely populated with trees, suggesting a secluded garden or natural retreat. The serene atmosphere and the women's quiet activity likely serve to illustrate themes or sentiments found in classical poetry, aligning with the album's broader purpose of visual interpretation.

Album of Landscape Paintings Illustrating Old Poems: Listening to the Qin, Hua Yan

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Artist & collection

Artist

Hua Yan

Hua Yan simplified Chinese: 华嵒; traditional Chinese: 華嵒; pinyin: Huà Yán; Wade–Giles: Hua Yen; courtesy name Qiu Yue (秋岳), sobriquets Xinluo Shanren (新罗山人), Dong Yuan Sheng (东园生), Buyi Sheng (布衣生), Ligou Jushi (离垢居士)and…