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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2024.106
People
Chen Haiyan 陳海燕 ( Fushun, Liaoning province, China born 1955)
Title
The Egg is Truly Great
Other Titles
Original Language Title: 鸡蛋真伟大
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1986
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/383964

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Woodblock print; ink on pi zhi bast paper
Dimensions
image: H. 18.8 × W. 13 cm (7 3/8 × 5 1/8 in.)
paper: H. 32.2 × W. 23 cm (12 11/16 × 9 1/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • signature: in pencil: 10/30 梦1986年2月14日鸡蛋真伟大 陈海燕1986 [10/30 Dream: February 14, 1986, The Egg Is Truly Great; Chen Haiyan 1986]
  • inscription: printed: 梦 一九八六二十四

    那猫的身底下有那么多的鸡蛋，
    都在等待它体温热后出小猫来。
    我想鸡蛋真伟大，
    又能出小兔、小鸡，
    如果我放一个鸡蛋，
    我便可得一个小猫吗？


    DREAM: FEBRUARY 14, 1986
    There are so many eggs
    underneath the cat's body,
    They are all waiting for the cat's
    body to warm them so they
    can hatch little kittens.
    I think to myself that the egg is
    truly great! Eggs can hatch
    baby bunnies and chicks.
    If I place another egg underneath
    the cat, can I possibly get a
    kitten?

    [Translation: Britta Erickson]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Chen Haiyan, Hangzhou (1986-2024), sold [through Ink Studio, Beijing, China]; to Harvard Art Museums, 2024.

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Edition
10/30

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Johanna and Leslie Garfield Fund in Honor of Professor Roderick MacFarquhar
Accession Year
2024
Object Number
2024.106
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The coarsely cut woodblock print in black ink is enclosed within vertically oriented rectangle. The print depicts a figure looking up to two rows of eggs. A cat face is behind them. A bunny and a small bird are next to them. Chinese characters occupy lower half of the print.

Publication History

  • Britta Erickson, Abby Chen, and Amjad Majid, Chen Haiyan: Carving the Unconscious (Seattle, 2016), pl. 7

Related Works

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