Artwork
清 佚名 蜂舞花叢 册頁|Flowers and Bees
清 佚名 蜂舞花叢 册頁|Flowers and Bees is an ink painting. It dates from 1749 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This 18th-century painting, titled Flowers and Bees, is an album leaf originally conceived as a fan.
About this work
The painting shows flowers and bees on a silk fan. It's an album leaf from the 18th century. The artist used ink and color to create this scene, which is very detailed.
The flowers and bees are painted in a delicate style. The artist paid close attention to the small details, like the bees' wings.
You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of the artist: Unidentified Artist.
Subject & Meaning
Executed in ink and color on silk, the work focuses entirely on these natural elements, capturing the insects in flight or resting among the petals.
This 1749 album leaf presents a still life composition featuring bees interacting with blooming flowers. Executed in ink and color on silk, the work focuses entirely on these natural elements, capturing the insects in flight or resting among the petals. The imagery highlights the relationship between the pollinators and the flora, a common motif in Chinese art that often symbolizes industry, the fleeting nature of spring, or the harmony of the natural world.
By isolating these subjects against the silk ground, the anonymous artist emphasizes the delicate details of the bees' wings and the vibrant hues of the blossoms.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in ink and color on silk, mounted as a fan-shaped album leaf. Its small format and intimate scale suit the album format, with delicate lines defining petals and stippled dots suggesting bee wings.
Stylistically, the composition balances naturalism with decorative patterning: blossoms cluster asymmetrically, while the bees' rhythmic repetition and slight overlap create a sense of movement across the silk surface. The handling favors fine, controlled brushwork for petals and leaves, contrasted with looser, abbreviated strokes for the insects' bodies, enhancing the contrast between stillness and implied motion.
History & Provenance
Created in 1749 in China, this fan painting mounted as an album leaf was executed by an anonymous artist in ink and color on silk, depicting a still life of bees and flowers. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. No specific details regarding its original commission, intermediate ownership history, or the circumstances of its acquisition by the museum are available in the records. No exhibition history is documented.
Overview
This 18th-century painting, titled Flowers and Bees, is an album leaf originally conceived as a fan. Rendered in ink and color on silk, it depicts a vibrant natural scene. The work showcases an anonymous artist's skill in capturing the delicate interplay between flora and fauna, characteristic of Qing dynasty artistry. Its detailed execution invites close observation of the natural world.
Artist & collection
