Portrait of a gentleman gathering chrysanthemums

dated 1791

Not on view

The poet Tao Yuanming was a source of inspiration to many scholar-officials, who saw his decision to retire from official life as a righteous stand against ambition and blind adherence to society’s expectations. By the seventeenth century, men began to commission portraits of themselves inhabiting Tao’s role by acting out famous scenes from his poetry. This portrait is by Hua Guan, who worked in elite circles in Beijing during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The sitter, as yet unidentified, plucks chrysanthemums, Tao’s favorite flower.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

清　華冠　採菊文士圖　軸
Title: Portrait of a gentleman gathering chrysanthemums
Artist: Hua Guan (Chinese, ca. 1740–ca. 1822)
Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: dated 1791
Culture: China
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 81 1/8 × 38 1/8 in. (206.1 × 96.8 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchase, Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Bequest, 2023
Object Number: 2023.299
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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