2009.81: Orchid and Rock

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2009.81

People

Kim Ŭng-wŏn (also spelled Gim Eung'won; also known as So-ho and Ch'ŏn-ram), Korean (1855 - 1921)

Title

Orchid and Rock

Classification

Paintings

Work Type

painting, fan

Date

late 19th-early 20th century

Places

Creation Place: East Asia, Korea

Period

Chosŏn dynasty to Modern period

Culture

Korean

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/19278

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on silk satin; with signature of the artist reading "So-ho Ke-sa Kim Ŭng-wŏn chak"; with four seals of the artist

Dimensions

painting proper: H. 27.7 x W. 16.5 cm (10 7/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
mounting, suspension cord and roller ends: H. 129.5 x W. 39.4 cm (51 x 15 1/2 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• seal: 1) The artist's inscription, written vertically in seven columns, appears at the top of the painting.
  
  2) The artist's signature appears along the painting's left edge (viewer's left); it reads as follows: "So-ho Ke-sa Kim Ung-won chak"
  
  3) The seals are as follows:
  --- Seal at beginning of inscription: Rectangular, red, intaglio seal: Not yet deciphered
  --- Seal immediately following signature: Square, red, intaglio seal reading: "Kim Ung Won In"
  --- Seal immediately following the above: Square, red, relief seal reading: "So Ho"
  --- Seal in lower right corner of the painting: Square, red, relief seal reading: "So Ho"

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Private Collection, sold; to Yoshida Hiroshi, Nara, Japan (by 1998 or 1999), sold; to [Kang Collection, New York (by 1998 or 1999-1999)] sold; to Robert D. Mowry, Brookline, MA (1999-2009), gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1999.

Footnote:
1. Yoshida Hiroshi (b. 1940)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Robert D. Mowry in honor of Byung S. and Keum Ja Kang

Accession Year

2009

Object Number

2009.81

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Painted in ink on silk satin, this small hanging scroll depicts a clump of orchids, probably cymbidiums, growing on a rock. The representational elements are positioned vertically along the painting's right edge (viewer's right), with the pointy, diagonally oriented rock projecting from the lower right corner into the center of the composition and with the orchid clump perched atop the rock. Framed on either side by a calligraphically rendered orchid leaf, the artist's poetic inscription occupies a place of honor at the top of the composition. The artist's signature, which is written vertically and reads from the top down, appears along the painting's left edge. One seal of the artist appears at the beginning of the inscription; two more follow his signature; and an additional one enlivens the lower right corner.

Exhibition History

• Re-View: S228-230 (Asian rotation: 3), Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 11/04/2009 - 05/02/2010

Verification Level