Five Water Buffalo

Qi Baishi Chinese

Not on view

This work shows water buffalo in different postures and from various angles to playfully convey a sense of the beloved animal's personality. The artist's inscription reveals that his family found it impossible to part with the delightful image:

I painted this for a family friend. My family persuaded me to repeat the composition and keep it for ourselves, since it is rather amusing.

(Wen Fong, trans., Between Two Cultures: Late-Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Chinese Paintings from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art [New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001], p. 167)

Five Water Buffalo, Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, China

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

painting

Five Water Buffalo, Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, China
Five Water Buffalo, Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, China

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.