Accession Number
1977/2.17

Title
Cat under Flowers

Artist(s)
Chen Zun (Ch'en Tsun)

Object Creation Date
1612

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink on paper

Dimensions
47 ⅝ in x 14 15/16 in (120.97 cm x 37.94 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund

Label copy
Inscription: Playfully painted at the Treasure Ink Studio on 1612.12.15 by your servant, Chen Zun
Two seals of the artist
In this painting a well-fed cat nestles contentedly among the grass and flowers, relaxing on the bank of a stream. Rejecting detailed realism, Chen Zun freely paints the cat in light, lively brushstrokes, making effective use of the white space of the paper. Rocks, flowers, and grasses are skillfully depicted in different tonalities of monochrome ink. In this charming example of bird and flower painting, the animated cat, comfortably ensconced, gazes directly out at the viewer.
Gallery Rotation Fall 2011
Chen Zun
China, active 1573–1619
Cat under Flowers
Ming Period (1368–1644)
1612
Hanging scroll, ink on paper
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund, 1977/2.17
In this painting a well-fed cat nestles contentedly among the grass and flowers, relaxing on the bank of a stream. Rejecting detailed realism, Chen Zun freely paints the cat in light, lively brushstrokes, making effective use of the white space of the paper. Rocks, flowers, and grasses are skillfully depicted in different tonalities of monochrome ink. In this charming example of bird and flower painting, the animated cat, comfortably ensconced, gazes directly out at the viewer.

Subject matter
In this charming example of bird and flower painting, the animated cat, comfortably ensconced, gazes directly out at the viewer.
Rejecting detailed realism, Chen Zun freely paints the cat in light, lively brushstrokes, making effective use of the white space of the paper. Rocks, flowers, and grasses are skillfully depicted in different tonalities of monochrome ink.

Physical Description
In this painting a well-fed cat nestles contentedly among the grass and flowers, relaxing on the bank of a stream.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
calligraphy (process)
flowers (plant components)
rock (inorganic material)