Flowers and birds

Photogallery

Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Flowers and birds
Collection

Among the pictorial works of the Ethnological Museum’s oriental collections, there is a rare collection of twelve vertical scrolls which develop the theme of “Flowers and Birds”, by the artist Yun Shouping (1633-1960), renowned painter of the Qing epoch (1644-1911). Yun Shouping, famous for his expertise in depicting flowers, devoted himself exclusively to painting, living in poverty and refusing to work for the imperial court. He was particularly appreciated for his use of the mogu “boneless” technique, characterised by the soft use of ink diluted with abundant water, rendering forms without outlines.
The work Peonies in bloom in spring depicts overlapping rocky masses protruding from the right towards the centre, dotted with fully blooming mudan peonies in various shades of colour.
The painting has a colophon in the upper right in classical Chinese characters, a poem: “[The peonies] once, used to grow to the Sanzhu tree in Yaopu [realm], always guarding the “five colours clouds” of [mount] Penglai.
The work is signed ([Painting] executed in the manner of Xu Xi of the Northern Song. Baiyunxi [nickname of Shouping]) and has three red square seals with characters in the zhuanshu style (seal character script).