Crabapple, China rose, and Indian flycatcher

Shen Quan Chinese

Not on view

This sumptuous painting evokes a rebus, or multipart visual pun, that transforms it from a decorative image into one laden with meaning. The two long-tailed birds (shoudai niao 綬帶鳥) symbolize “double longevity” (shuangshou 雙壽), while the rose (yueji 月季) and crabapple (haitang 海棠) stand for “high hall” (gaotang 高堂), a respectful term for one’s parents. Taken together, the pictures encode a wish of “long life for your parents.”

Crabapple, China rose, and Indian flycatcher, Shen Quan (Chinese, 1682–after 1762), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, China

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Crabapple, China rose, and Indian flycatcher, Shen Quan (Chinese, 1682–after 1762), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, China
Crabapple, China rose, and Indian flycatcher, Shen Quan (Chinese, 1682–after 1762), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, China
Crabapple, China rose, and Indian flycatcher, Shen Quan (Chinese, 1682–after 1762), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, China

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