Section 10 of 10 Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Section 10 of 10 Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1923.156
People
Jin Wenjin 金文璡 , Chinese (active 1400 - 1450)
Title
Ten Thousand Bamboo in Mist and Rain
Classification
Paintings with Calligraphy
Work Type
handscroll, painting with calligraphy
Date
1438
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/206576

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Handscroll; ink on paper; with artist inscription and signature reading "Jin Jin Yanhui Xie"; multiple colophons
Dimensions
painting proper: H. 33.3 x W. (total) 884.2 cm (13 1/8 x 348 1/8 in.)
mounting: H. 35.2 cm (13 7/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: artist's inscription and signature; 49 seals

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Edward B. Bruce Collection of Chinese Paintings; Gift of Galen L. Stone
Accession Year
1923
Object Number
1923.156
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Because it retains its leaves year round, even during the cold winter season, the bamboo symbolizes strength in the face of adversity; paired with the pine and plum, it is regarded as one of the "Three Friends of Winter." Confucians, in particular, see the bamboo as an appropriate symbol of the cultured gentleman, and hence, it became a popular subject of scholar-amateur painting. This long handscroll depicts a species of bamboo noteworthy for its slender stalks and leaves. Growing on the bank of a river, the bamboo are enveloped by heavy mists that virtually obscure the plants in the background. The artist, Jin Yanhui, specialized in paintings of ink bamboo and was particularly fond of depicting slender bamboo. Thirteen inscriptions by scholars and officials, some of whom were his contemporaries, are written on the painting. The artist's own dated inscription appears at the end of the scroll.

Publication History

  • Sherman E. Lee, Chinese Landscape Painting, exh. cat., Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, OH, 1954), cat. no. 28, pp. 61 and 148, repr. (det) p. 61, fig. 28

Exhibition History

  • Chinese Painting and Decorative Arts from the Permanent Collection, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 08/17/1991 - 01/26/1992
  • Transformations: Asia East and West, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/19/1992 - 02/14/1993
  • Masterworks of East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 11/03/1995 - 06/09/1996
  • Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo: Botanical Motifs and Symbols in East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 07/06/2002 - 01/05/2003
  • A Compelling Legacy: Masterworks of East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 08/24/2004 - 03/20/2005
  • Cultivating Virtue: Botanical Motifs and Symbols in East Asian Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 07/08/2006 - 04/08/2007
  • 32Q: 2600 East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/04/2015 - 11/29/2015

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu