Carved fan, blossoming roses and excerpt from the Commentary on the Water Classic
Bamboo frame carving by Jin Xiya Chinese
Painting by Pang Laichen Chinese
Calligraphy by Chu Deyi Chinese
Not on view
This work captures a subtle sense of humor of Jin Xiya, the finest bamboo artist active in twentieth-century China. One of the outer ribs depicts a group of foods that ripen with the approach of summer. This subject, known as jianchun, literally, “a farewell meal to spring,” is a common literati theme. In addition to the normal seasonal vegetables and fruits of this season—bamboo shoots and cherries—the artist has inserted a pufferfish (hetun, fugu in Japanese). Consuming these fish can be lethal without professional preparation, but it is a famous delicacy in both China and Japan. The unconventional addition of this fish was undoubtedly intended as a playful surprise! Jin’s archive records that this folding fan was a gift to his teenage daughter, which may explain why such an amusing and personal design was selected.
According to the archival list of Jin’s works (fan frame #191), the bamboo carving of spider and bamboo was completed on November 5, 1933, and the carving of spring foods was completed on December 21, 1933.
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