Interpretation
The Ming dynasty painter Qiu Ying, to whom this work has traditionally been attributed, was known for his blue-green painting style. Flowering trees on banks may be a reference to the story of the Peach Blossom Spring, a theme also seen in other paintings on view. In a canopied boat on the water, two men sit in conversation. Near them are scholarly accoutrements and a vase with a flowering branch. Inside a building on the shore, a lady can be seen arranging similar flower sprays, and outside a maid is busy washing clothes. The rocks and mountains are rendered blue and green, possibly meant to recall a distant past free from turmoil and harsh circumstances.
Information
- Title
- Boating in the Mountains, in the style of Qiu Ying
- Object Number
- y1946-195
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; in and color on silk
- Dates
- undated; 17th–18th century
- Dimensions
- Painting: 204 x 98 cm. (80 5/16 x 38 9/16 in.) Mount: 351.5 x 115 cm. (138 3/8 x 45 1/4 in.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of DuBois Schanck Morris, Class of 1893
- Culture
- Chinese
- Period
- Ming dynasty
- Place made
- Asia, China
- Signatures
- unsigned
- Marks/Labels/Seals
- Seven characters in ink on label adhered to edge of rolled scroll
1898 – ca. 1926 acquired in China by DuBois Schanck Morris (1873-1956), based in Anhui, China; 1946 gift to Princeton University Art Museum
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