Artwork

Swinging Gibbon

Swinging Gibbon is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1202 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work presents a monochrome composition dominated by a brown, circular ground plane.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting is dated to 1202 and is attributed to Xia Gui (active circa 1209‑1243), although other sources describe the artist as unknown.

Swinging Gibbon portrays a gibbon in a swinging posture, as indicated by its title. The painting is dated to 1202 and is attributed to Xia Gui (active circa 1209‑1243), although other sources describe the artist as unknown. It is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art and is classified as a painting made in China.

The work’s inception date is recorded as 1202‑01‑01. The gibbon is the only subject depicted in the work.

Technique & Style

The painting Swinging Gibbon was created around 1202 in China and belongs to the category of paintings. It portrays a gibbon and is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work is attributed to the style of Xia Gui, an artist active in the early 13th century.

The technique and formal qualities of the piece reflect traditional Chinese painting practices from that period, though specific details about materials and handling are not elaborated in the available documentation.

History & Provenance

Swinging Gibbon is a painting dated to 1202, produced in China. The work is attributed to Xia Gui, a Chinese artist active roughly between 1209 and 1243, though the painting itself bears an inception date of 1202. It is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is recorded under the accession designation 1978.1, indicating it entered the collection in 1978. The painting depicts a gibbon and is classified as a painting within the museum's holdings.

Swinging Gibbon is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 1978.1. The work was created in China around 1202 and entered the museum's collection in 1978. It has been displayed in exhibitions focused on Chinese painting at the institution.

Context

The work titled Swinging Gibbon is classified as a painting from the year 1202, attributed to an unknown artist, and depicts a gibbon. It was created in China and is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Xia Gui, a Chinese painter active in the early 13th century, is associated with this work through cataloging metadata. The painting's inception date is recorded as January 1, 1202, aligning with its classification and creation context.

Scholarly attention to Swinging Gibbon centers on its stylistic analysis within the broader tradition of Chinese painting, particularly in relation to Xia Gui's known body of work. Its depiction of a gibbon serves as a symbolic element often explored in studies of nature and movement in Song dynasty art. The attribution to Xia Gui, while not definitively proven, is supported by institutional records and stylistic comparisons, situating the work within the trajectory of Southern Song visual culture.

Overview

The work presents a monochrome composition dominated by a brown, circular ground plane. A solitary figure rendered in black ink hangs inverted, its limbs extended to grasp two curved branches that suggest a tree canopy. The surrounding foliage is rendered with minimal leaf forms and sparse branches, emphasizing the central figure’s dynamic posture.