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Lychee

Qi Baishi Chinese
1948
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
Qi Baishi painted this imposing image of a lychee tree in full fruit when he was eighty-eight years old. Because of their copious fruits, lychees are considered symbols of abundance and fertility, making them suitable for expressing a wish for the birth of children. Qi borrowed the inscribed verses from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Xu Yin (849–938).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 現代　齊白石　荔枝圖　軸
  • Title: Lychee
  • Artist: Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957)
  • Period: Republic period (1912–49)
  • Date: 1948
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 68 1/2 × 26 9/16 in. (174 × 67.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Promised Gift of Jack and Susy Wadsworth
  • Object Number: L.2022.15.3
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art