Lily and Butterflies
1304
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1304
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Lily and Butterflies is a 1304 unspecified by Liu Shanshou, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A pale bird perches on a rock beside a tall orange lily, while butterflies flutter above. The leaves and petals curve like the bird’s tail feathers. The artist used light ink first, then darker strokes—almost like a sketch becoming a finished work. The bird, a wagtail, was a symbol of brotherly love. The lily had medical uses, including easing pain during childbirth. To see more paintings from this time, look up china, yuan dynasty (1271-1368).
The bird is represented in pale ink, probably sketched in before the darker ink was used to finish the rock. Like the butterfly and moth above, his tail feathers echo the bamboo as well as the leaves and petals of the flowers. The Chinese wagtail can connote brotherly love. The daylily was used for various pharmaceutical purposes, especially for deadening pain in childbirth. It was also considered efficacious in relieving grief and aiding in the production of sons. The lily is in fact the real subject of this painting: it is the common symbol for motherly love. Hence, the lingering of the…
The bird is the Chinese wagtail ( motacilla chinensis ).
Read the full account in the museum source.
