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A long, narrow painted scroll with an irregularly-shaped diagonal form with leaves around it and Chinese writing to the top-right.

An off-white long, narrow painted scroll shown vertically. Starting from the bottom-left corner is an irregularly-shaped diagonal black and white form with long, thin black leaves around it. The form reaches from the corner to the center-middle. There are three vertical rows of Chinese writing to the top-right.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2010.443
People
Hak-kyo Chŏng, Korean (1832 - 1914)
Title
Orchids and Rock
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting, hanging scroll
Date
datable to 1911
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, Korea
Culture
Korean
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/336447

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on satin silk; with signature reading "Chŏng Hak-kyo"; with two seals of the artist
Dimensions
painting proper: 115.8 x 39.4 cm (45 9/16 x 15 1/2 in.)
mounting, including cord and roller ends: 191.8 x 61.8 cm (75 1/2 x 24 5/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: Upper right, in black ink: Chŏng Hak-kyo [written in Chinese characters]
  • inscription: Vertically oriented brush-written inscription and signature at the upper right quadrant: the signature reads "Chŏng Hak-kyo".
  • seal: artist's seal, upper right, immediately following signature: square, red, intaglio seal reading "Chŏng Hak-kyo"
  • seal: artist's seal, lower left corner: square, red, relief seal indicating that the painting was done when the artist was eighty "sui" (i.e., seventy-nine years old).

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Purchased in Korea and brought to the U.S. in the 1960s; through auction in the early 2000s; through Kang Collection; to Harvard Art Museum.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Christina Marcove and through the Ralph C. Marcove International Understanding Through Arts and Crafts Foundation, Inc.
Accession Year
2010
Object Number
2010.443
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Painted in ink on satin silk, this hanging scroll represents two clumps of orchids, likely cymbidiums, growing on either side of a garden rock. Entering in the lower left corner, the rock rises diagonally through the composition, reaching almost two-thirds the full height of the painting. The orchids grow on either side of the rock. The artist's inscription and signature comprise three columns of calligraphy in the painting's upper right quadrant. The very cursive script and the characters' extended final, vertical brushstrokes harmonize perfectly with the brushwork of the orchids' leaves and flowers. A seal of the artist reading Chŏng Hak-kyo appears immediately after the artist's signature (i.e., at the bottom of the third column of calligraphy, reading from right to left). The artist's second seal appears in the lower left corner of the painting, impressed on the lowest part of the rock.

Exhibition History

  • Re-View: S228-230 (Asian rotation: 4), Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 05/07/2010 - 11/09/2010
  • 32Q: 2600 East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/07/2017 - 06/01/2018

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