Pine Longevity
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Drawing upon the association of pine trees with long life, the painter-connoisseur Wu Hufan made this work as a gift for a friend’s eightieth birthday. The pine, though wizened and covered with knots, stands proud as it spreads its branches across the center of the composition. Lingzhi fungus, another symbol of longevity, is paired with rock, an image of constancy, to reinforce the auspicious message. Wu’s large title, written in archaic seal script, reads “Pine Longevity
Artwork Details
- 現代 吳湖帆 雙壽圖 軸
- Title: Pine Longevity
- Artist: Wu Hufan (Chinese, 1894–1968)
- Date: 1950
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 40 5/8 × 19 5/16 in. (103.2 × 49 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Promised Gift of Jack and Susy Wadsworth
- Object Number: L.2022.15.7
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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