Where can I see 清佚名傳錢選花果草蟲圖卷|Flowers and Insects?

清佚名傳錢選花果草蟲圖卷|Flowers and Insects is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 清佚名傳錢選花果草蟲圖卷|Flowers and Insects?

清佚名傳錢選花果草蟲圖卷|Flowers and Insects is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

清佚名傳錢選花果草蟲圖卷|Flowers and Insects

清佚名傳錢選花果草蟲圖卷|Flowers and Insects is an ink painting. It dates from 1777 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This handscroll, titled Flowers and Insects, is a painting executed with ink and color on silk.

Accession no.: 47.18.91
Credit line: From the Collection of A. W. Bahr, Purchase, Fletcher Fund, 1947

About this work

Technique & Style

5 centimeters, the handscroll has a markedly horizontal format, with the width considerably exceeding the height.

The work is executed as a handscroll in ink and color on silk, a traditional East Asian painting format that allows the composition to be unrolled and viewed section by section. The silk support provides a smooth, lustrous ground suited to fine botanical and insect detail, while the combination of ink with applied color enables both delicate linear drawing and subtle tonal washes.

Measuring 26.0 by 176.5 centimeters, the handscroll has a markedly horizontal format, with the width considerably exceeding the height. This elongated proportion is characteristic of the genre, encouraging a sequential reading of floral motifs and creatures such as butterflies across the silk surface. The painting belongs to the still-life tradition of flower-and-insect imagery, depicting butterflies among flowers in the manner associated with earlier masters.

History & Provenance

The handscroll Flowers and Insects, attributed to an anonymous artist of the Qing dynasty and traditionally linked to Qian Xuan, was created in 1777. The work is executed in ink and color on silk, measuring 26.0 cm in height and 176.5 cm in width, and originates from China.

The painting is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with accession number 1983.334.2, entering the collection in 1983. The work was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013 as part of the exhibition "Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China."

Overview

This handscroll, titled Flowers and Insects, is a painting executed with ink and color on silk. Attributed to an anonymous artist from the Qing dynasty, with a traditional association to Qian Xuan, the work depicts a serene natural scene. It showcases various botanical elements alongside butterflies, rendered with meticulous attention to detail. The composition evokes a sense of tranquility and quiet observation, characteristic of traditional Chinese scroll painting.

Subject & Meaning

The painting presents a harmonious arrangement of flowers and butterflies, suggesting a segment of the natural world. These elements are rendered to convey a sense of quietude and balance. The depiction of flora and fauna often carried symbolic meanings within Chinese art, though here the primary emphasis appears to be on the intrinsic beauty and peaceful coexistence of these natural forms, inviting contemplative viewing.

清　佚名　仿李鱓　花果圖　冊|Plants and Vegetables, After Li Shan

Artist & collection

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art

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