Artwork
清 沙馥 桃李芳園圖 摺扇|The Peach and Plum Garden
清 沙馥 桃李芳園圖 摺扇|The Peach and Plum Garden is an ink painting by the Chinese Orthodox School artist Sha Fu. It dates from 1879 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1986.267.78
About this work
Technique & Style
The work originated as a folding fan but has been remounted as an album leaf, a common conservation and presentation practice for fan paintings.
Created in 1879, The Peach and Plum Garden is executed in ink and color on alum paper. The work originated as a folding fan but has been remounted as an album leaf, a common conservation and presentation practice for fan paintings. Measuring 17.8 cm in height and 54.3 cm in width, the piece retains its original format dimensions while adapting to a new display support.
Stylistically, the composition functions as a landscape that incorporates specific figures and objects, depicting a man seated at a table within the garden setting.
History & Provenance
Sha Fu painted The Peach and Plum Garden in 1879 in China, producing a folding fan that was later mounted as an album leaf using ink and color on alum paper. The work portrays a man and a table and measures 17.8 cm in height by 54.3 cm in width. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display.
No documentation records the commission or early ownership, but the museum’s catalog confirms its acquisition and current location.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It was created in 1879 by the artist Sha Fu and is classified as a painting. The museum houses the piece, which depicts a man and a table within a landscape setting.
Overview
Sha Fu's "The Peach and Plum Garden," created in 1879, is a delicate painting executed with ink and color on alum paper. Originally conceived as a folding fan, it is now presented as an album leaf. This small-scale work depicts a serene garden scene, characteristic of the artist's attention to detail within a portable format. The artwork exemplifies the Qing dynasty tradition of intimate, finely rendered pictorial subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays two figures seated at a modest table amidst a flourishing garden. Blooming peach and plum trees surround them, suggesting a setting of natural beauty and perhaps scholarly contemplation or leisurely enjoyment. The intimate scale of the scene invites close observation, drawing the viewer into this private moment of tranquility, a common theme in literati painting that emphasizes harmony with nature.
Context
As a folding fan, this artwork was designed for personal use and portability rather than for grand display. Its intimate scale and detailed execution suggest it was intended for close appreciation by an individual, perhaps carried as an accessory or exchanged as a gift among literati circles. This format contrasts with larger paintings meant for public or palatial settings, highlighting its private and personal function.
Artist & collection
