Artwork
清 吳榖祥 山水 扇面|Landscape
清 吳榖祥 山水 扇面|Landscape is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Wu Guxiang. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1986.267.68
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The piece was created in China and is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a landscape painting from the late Qing period.
The fan painting by Wu Guxiang, dated 1894, presents a traditional Chinese landscape that centers on a solitary boat rendered in ink on gold paper. As a landscape work, the composition emphasizes natural scenery rather than narrative detail, and the inclusion of a boat aligns with common motifs in Chinese art that suggest travel, transience, or a journey toward spiritual contemplation. The piece was created in China and is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a landscape painting from the late Qing period.
Technique & Style
The work is a folding fan mounted as an album leaf, executed in ink on gold paper. Its dimensions are approximately 18.4 cm in height and 51.6 cm in width, dating to 1894. The painting belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a boat, reflecting the conventional Qing-era shan shui approach in which layered ink washes suggest atmospheric depth.
As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, the piece exemplifies the material specificity of Chinese fan art, combining delicate brushwork with a gold-paper ground that influences its handling and preservation.
History & Provenance
This folding fan mounted as an album leaf, ink on gold paper, was produced in China in 1894 by Wu Guxiang. It portrays a boat within a landscape and is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession number 1996.483.2. No earlier provenance details are documented in the available sources.
Overview
Artist Wu Guxiang created this landscape in 1894. Rendered with ink on gold paper, the work was originally a folding fan, later mounted as an album leaf. It presents a serene scene of misty mountains and a small boat, characteristic of traditional Chinese landscape painting. The delicate application of ink on the shimmering surface suggests a subtle aesthetic intended for close contemplation.
Context
Unlike paintings intended for wall display, this work was conceived as a functional object, a folding fan, and likely gifted. Its small scale and original format meant it was designed to be held and viewed intimately, perhaps carried within a sleeve. The subsequent mounting as an album leaf transformed its presentation, allowing for preservation and inclusion in a collection.
Artist & collection
