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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2009.83
People
Bai Haonian, Chinese (late 19th - early 20th century)
Title
Squirrels and Grapevine
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting, hanging scroll
Date
dated to 1906
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Qing dynasty, 1644-1911
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/332841

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on paper; with artist's dated inscription and signature; with three seals of the artist; with one collector's seal
Dimensions
painting proper: 148.6 x 47.5 cm (58 1/2 x 18 11/16 in.)
mounting, with suspension cord and roller ends: 210.2 x 70.5 cm (82 3/4 x 27 3/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • seal: 1) Inscription and signature -- The artist's inscription and signature appear at the painting's center. The inscription can be translated as follows: "Cultivate and nourish your heart, honor the earth and you will be fully grown. Young roots that associate with the enlightened will in that way repent and subsequently bear marvelous fruit. Those who know this satisfaction may seek a substitute but who would know? During the first ten days of the fifth lunar month of the thirty-second year of the Guangxu reign [1906] I followed Baiyun Waishi [Yun Shouping] in painting this 'Age One Hundred' picture beneath the south window of the Dicui Mountain Lodge in Old Beiping. Bo Haonian from Changli in the Kingdom of the Qing." [Translated by Howard Rogers, Kaikodo]

    2) Seals -- There are four seals on the painting, including three seals of the artist and one collector's seal, as follows:
    --- Rectangular, red, intaglio seal; at the beginning of the inscription, reading: "Ban Mou Mei Nan"
    --- Square, red, intaglio seal; following the artist's signature, reading: "Xue Ye Shu Cui Yin"
    --- Square, red, relief seal; immediately below the previous seal, reading: "O Shan Gu You You You"
    --- Square, red, relief seal; lower right corner: Unidentified collector's seal

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Purchased from Kaikodo, New York, 2009

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry James, by exchange
Accession Year
2009
Object Number
2009.83
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Painted in ink on paper, this hanging scroll represents an upside-down, U-shaped, old grapevine with two squirrels sporting amongst the fruiting branches. The grapevine comprises four intertwined, leafy stalks that enter the composition in the lower left corner, diagonally traverse the composition, rise along the right edge, make a U-turn at the top, and then extend down the left edge. Numerous bunches of ripe grapes hang from the vines. In the upper left corner of the painting one squirrel nibbles on a grape, while another squirrel in the lower right corner looks up toward the first. Neatly framed all around by the grapevine, the artist's inscription and signature appear at the very center of the composition.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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