Portrait of Huang Jianyuan (1844–1911)
A gentleman in a robe of blue silk gazes out at the viewer, a yellow chrysanthemum clutched delicately in his left hand. In the foreground, a plant of blossoming chrysanthemum clusters next to a gnarled rock, while in the background more flowers grow at the base of a parasol tree, which arcs gently above the scholar, framing him in the center of the picture. The subject is Huang Jianyuan (1844–1911), a late Qing scholar-official. The painter of the portrait itself did not sign the work; the inscription is by Huang’s friend Ding Shangyong (active late 19th century), a scholar-official and painter who added the landscape background. The deep shading of the face likely reflects the portrait painter’s knowledge of photography, which was introduced to China in the 1860s.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of Huang Jianyuan (1844–1911)
- Artist: Landscape by Ding Shangyong (Chinese, active late 19th century)
- Artist: Portrait by Unidentified artist
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: undated, late nineteenth century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll (framed); ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 51 1/8 × 36 1/4 in. (129.9 × 92.1 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Gifts, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.300
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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