Accession Number
2002/2.351

Title
Bamboo in snow

Artist(s)
Zhu Sheng (Chu Sheng)

Object Creation Date
1690

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink on satin

Dimensions
5 ft. 11 5/16 in. x 18 9/16 in. (181 x 47 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dorothy Dunlap Cahill

Label copy
Historically, literati art was defined as calligraphy and imagery created by educated public servants in their leisure time; some of the most celebrated subjects were landscapes and plants, such as bamboo and blossoming plum. Zhu Sheng particularly excelled in painting bamboo in snow. Here the leaves are depicted with vigorous yet controlled strokes of the brush, while the snow is indicated by surrounding areas of blank paper with dark ink, a traditional technique in monochrome ink painting. The image of bamboo bent under heavy snow suggests its capacity to survive the harsh winter and symbolizes the Confucian virtue of maintaining one’s integrity in politically difficult times.
Winter 2011 Gallery Rotation
Maribeth Graybill 2/28/03
Gallery Rotation Winter 2011
Zhu Sheng (Chu Sheng)
China, 1618–circa 1690
Bamboo in Snow
Qing Period (1644–1912)
1690
Hanging scroll, ink on satin
Gift of Dorothy Dunlap Cahill, 2002/2.351
Historically, literati art was defined as calligraphy and imagery created by educated public servants in their leisure time; some of the most celebrated subjects were landscapes and plants, such as bamboo and blossoming plum. Zhu Sheng particularly excelled in painting bamboo in snow. Here the leaves are depicted with vigorous yet controlled strokes of the brush, while the snow is indicated by surrounding areas of blank paper with dark ink, a traditional technique in monochrome ink painting. The image of bamboo bent under heavy snow suggests its capacity to survive the harsh winter and symbolizes the Confucian virtue of maintaining one’s integrity in politically difficult times.

Subject matter
Historically, literati art was defined as calligraphy and imagery created by educated public servants in their leisure time. Zhu Sheng particularly excelled in painting bamboo in snow. The image of bamboo bent under heavy snow suggests its capacity to survive the harsh winter and symbolizes the Confucian virtue of maintaining one’s integrity in politically difficult times.

Physical Description
In this image of bamboo bent under heavy snow the leaves are depicted with vigorous yet controlled strokes of the brush, while the snow is indicated by surrounding areas of blank paper with dark ink, a traditional technique in monochrome ink painting.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Additional Object Classification(s)
Painting

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
bamboo (material)
hanging scrolls
literati (painters)
snow (precipitation)
winter