Artwork
明/清 佚名 舊傳艾宣 鵪鶉 卷|Quail
明/清 佚名 舊傳艾宣 鵪鶉 卷|Quail is an ink painting. It dates from 1085 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This handscroll, titled Quail, is an anonymous Chinese painting from the Ming or Qing dynasty.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
While the title associates it with the Song dynasty painter Ai Xuan, the piece is currently attributed to an anonymous artist of the Ming or Qing era.
The handscroll depicts a quail among flowers. As a bird-and-flower painting, the work presents these natural elements as its primary subject. While the title associates it with the Song dynasty painter Ai Xuan, the piece is currently attributed to an anonymous artist of the Ming or Qing era.
The iconography centers on the interaction between the bird and floral motifs, though no specific symbolic or allegorical intent is detailed in the available records.
Technique & Style
This handscroll is executed in ink and color on silk and measures 32.9 cm in height by 199.7 cm in width. Stylistically, the painting focuses on the naturalistic depiction of a bird and flowers, in the bird-and-flower tradition. The composition unfolds horizontally, characteristic of the handscroll format.
While historically associated with the artist Ai Xuan, the piece is currently classified as the work of an unknown painter of the Ming or Qing dynasty, despite the earlier inception date recorded for it.
History & Provenance
The handscroll Quail is attributed to an anonymous painter of the Ming or Qing period and is recorded by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which holds the work, with an inception date of 1085. It is executed in ink and color on silk and measures 32.9 cm in height by 199.7 cm in width, depicting a bird and flowers. Formerly associated with Ai Xuan, the work has no documented commission or early provenance; the first documented location is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No specific accession number, acquisition details, or exhibition history are documented in the available sources.
Overview
This handscroll, titled Quail, is an anonymous Chinese painting from the Ming or Qing dynasty. Executed with ink and color on silk, the artwork depicts a single quail situated within an elaborate garden setting. The composition showcases the bird amidst various flora, reflecting a common subject in traditional Chinese painting.
Its attribution has historically been linked to Ai Xuan, though it is now considered the work of an unknown artist.
Artist & collection
Untitled
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Untitled
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Crow on a Pomegranate
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