Artwork
明 倪元璐 蕉鶴圖 軸|Crane Beneath a Banana Tree
明 倪元璐 蕉鶴圖 軸|Crane Beneath a Banana Tree is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Ni Yuanlu. It dates from 1638 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This hanging scroll, titled Crane Beneath a Banana Tree, was created in 1638 using ink and color on paper.
About this work
A crane stands beneath a banana tree, its neck slightly bent. The leaves are bold strokes of ink; the feathers soft and detailed. Painted in 1638, it pairs two symbols: the crane for long life, the banana tree for resilience. The work is unsigned, so the painter stays uncertain.
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1638, the hanging scroll presents these two elements as its primary visual subjects.
The work depicts a crane standing beneath a banana tree, executed in ink and color on paper. Created in 1638, the hanging scroll presents these two elements as its primary visual subjects. While the specific iconographic program is not detailed in the provided records, the composition centers on the bird from the family Gruidae and the foliage of the banana tree.
The imagery is characteristic of 17th-century Chinese painting traditions, where the crane often symbolizes longevity and the banana tree can represent resilience or the scholar's retreat, though the sources strictly identify only the depicted figures of the bird and the tree without elaborating on their deeper allegorical meanings or the artist's specific intent.
Technique & Style
Created in 1638, this work is executed as a hanging scroll utilizing ink and color applied to a paper support. The composition depicts a crane situated beneath a banana tree, integrating botanical and avian elements within the landscape genre. While attributed to Ni Yuanlu in some records, other documentation identifies the creator as an unidentified artist working after Ni Yuanli.
The piece employs traditional Chinese painting materials, combining monochromatic ink washes with pigmented areas to render the foliage and bird. Currently held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the scroll represents seventeenth-century Chinese artistic production, though specific details regarding its current physical condition or distinct brushwork handling techniques are not elaborated upon in the available records beyond the general medium classification.
History & Provenance
The work titled Crane Beneath a Banana Tree (蕉鶴圖) is a 17th‑century hanging scroll painted in ink and color on paper, dated 1638. It is attributed to the Chinese artist Ni Yuanlu and was produced in China. After its creation, the scroll entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display; the museum’s records identify it as a 17th‑century piece after Ni Yuanlu and list its inception as 1638. The work depicts a crane, banana tree, leaf and tree, reflecting the landscape genre of the period.
The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is accessioned under study number 1983.323. It was included in the exhibition The World of Scholars’ Rocks: Gardens, Studios, and Paintings held at the museum from 29 August 1999 to 30 April 2000, as part of the museum’s permanent collection display focused on Ming-dynasty painting.
Overview
This hanging scroll, titled Crane Beneath a Banana Tree, was created in 1638 using ink and color on paper. It depicts a solitary crane positioned beneath the broad leaves of a banana tree. The composition combines natural elements, presenting the bird with its neck gently curved, set against the backdrop of the plant.
Artist & collection
