Portrait of An Qi
1715
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1715
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Portrait of An Qi is a 1715 unspecified by Wang Hui, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This is a portrait of a young man sitting on a rock under banana leaves, holding a wrapped string instrument. He wears loose robes and looks calm, almost like he’s daydreaming. An Qi wasn’t a scholar—he was a rich salt merchant who loved art. The painting shows him as a Daoist recluse, a common look for educated men at the time. The wrapped instrument, books, and crane aren’t just props; they signal wisdom and a love of nature. If you like this quiet, detailed style, look up *china, qing dynasty (1644-1911)*.
An Qi, the subject of the portrait, was a second-generation salt merchant from Korea. He used part of his wealth to collect art. At the time this painting was commissioned, An was less than 40 years old. He is represented as a Daoist recluse in nature, informally dressed with attributes such as books and a wrapped guqin instrument, a portrait convention for literati-scholars since the Six Dynasties period (220–589 CE). The local Taihu rock, banana plants, and crane suggest a southern garden and a life in seclusion. An’s portrait is evidence of merchants aspiring to the scholar-official class.…
Seven of An Qi's close friends wrote poetic inscriptions on the silk brocade mount around his portrait.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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