Old Pine Shrouded in Clouds
Zeng Xi Chinese
Not on view
Zeng Xi, from Hengyang, Hunan Province, passed the palace (jinshi) examination in 1903. He served in the Qing court until the Revolution of 1911, when he moved to Shanghai. He established himself as a leading calligrapher and painter and became a close friend of Li Ruiqing (1867–1920).
Zeng painted this image after Li Ruiqing's death to present to Ruiqing's nephew Li Jian (1881–1956). His dedication reads:
An ancient pine tree, having turned into a dragon, displays shining claws in the cloudy firmament. A branch stemming from the same root and luxuriantly green, is auspicious in its burgeoning youth. I painted this as a metaphor for his nephew Li Jian, who has inherited his uncle Ruiqing's [artistic] family legacy. Like the clouds encircling the [pine tree's] roots and branches, the rain and dew will nurture their growth. Jian will pass on what he learned [from Ruiqing] to educate future generations.
(Wen Fong, trans., Between Two Cultures: Late-Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Chinese Paintings from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art [New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001], p. 66)
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