Lotus
Zhang Daqian Chinese
Not on view
Zhang Daqian first learned to paint flowers as a child from his mother. This sensuous ink painting is filled with nostalgia for the South and a time of innocence. The poem reads:
Moving clouds mingle with the Milky Way.
Leaning on the railing and staring at the stars,
Do you not remember the enchantment of the South,
where children wear red orpiment on their foreheads?
[Trans. Ellsworth et al, Later Chinese Painting]
Orpiment is an orange pigment worn by children to protect them from disease.
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