Accession Number
1980/1.223A&B

Title
Landscape after Gong Xian

Artist(s)
Jin Cheng; Jin Zhang

Object Creation Date
1918

Medium & Support
folding fan, ink and color on paper

Dimensions
12 11/16 in x 18 5/16 in (32.23 cm x 46.51 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase made possible by the Richard K. Beardsley Memorial Fund, supplemented by the Friends of the Museum of Art

Label copy
Front:
Jin Cheng
Chinese, 1878–1926
Landscape after Gong Xian

Reverse:
Jin Zhang
Chinese, 1884–1939
Red Bird on a Branch

Modern period (1912–present)
1918
Folding fan, ink and color on paper
Museum purchase made possible by the Richard K. Beardsley Memorial Fund,
supplemented by the Friends of the Museum of Art, 1980/1.223A&B

Jin Cheng was born into a wealthy family in Zhejiang and received a traditional Chinese education, but he later studied at King’s College, London. After he returned to China, he achieved prominence by serving the newly established Republic of China. Jin Cheng developed his painting skills by studying and copying the work of earlier Chinese masters. The inscription on this fan says the painting is based on one by Gong Xian created circa 1618–1689 (now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

Certainly there is a home amid the depths of the woods. Someone, after a long trip, has built a hut there to rest. [He] sits in the hut with a flask of wine until midnight. The moon shines on a cold pond [as he] drinks beside the white cascade.

The reverse of the fan was painted by Jin Cheng’s sister, Jin Zhang, who also studied in London. This colorful depiction of a red bird with a long tail symbolizes longevity. The thin branches, from which hang cherry-like fruits, are loosely and elegantly painted. Throughout history many Chinese women artists favored the genre of bird-and- flower painting.

Subject matter
The inscription on this fan says the painting is based on one by Gong Xian, created circa 1618–1689 (now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York): "Certainly there is a home amid the depths of the woods. Someone, after a long trip, has built a hut there to rest. [He] sits in the hut with a flask of wine until midnight. The moon shines on a cold pond [as he] drinks beside the white cascade." The colorful depiction of a red bird with a long tail on the reverse of the fan symbolizes longevity. The thin branches with cherry-like fruits are loosely and elegantly painted. Throughout history many Chinese women artists favored the genre of bird-and-flower painting.

Physical Description
This is a folding fan with showing a small house behind a hill on its front side. The house has three different trees on the right side. Text runs vertically along the fan on the far left. The reverse of the fan shows a red bird perched on a small branch with redish cherries and blue flowers or leaves behind. Another small branch is above with text on the far left. 

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
folding fan

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Birds
Landscapes
bird-and-flower paintings
cherry tree
folding fans
huts (houses)
landscapes (representations)
trees