Books and Scholarly Accoutrements
Not on view
This two-panel screen belongs to a painting genre known as munbangdo (“scholar’s study painting”) that emerged and developed in the eighteenth century. This example has been further classified as a bookcase type munbangdo. It depicts a style of off-set shelving inspired by Ming and Qing duobaoge (“many treasure shelves”). The shelves are filled with stacks of books, the primary and most important motif of munbangdo. This screen has the rare addition of book titles. In addition to books, the depicted objects are carefully selected to represent a scholar’s cultivated taste, such as ceramics, a Chinese bronze, and implements for calligraphy and painting. The fruit and flowers also hold auspicious meaning. The inside of watermelon and pomegranate are shown revealing abundant seeds as a sign for fertility. The peaches and plum blossoms are symbols of longevity and perseverance respectively. Folding screens of only two-panels are less common but were often created for corners.
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