Currently not on view
"Tao Qian's Poems," and "Bamboo and Rocks" (Tao Yuanming shi, Zhu shi xiaojing 陶淵明, 竹石小景),
1370
Song Ke 宋克, 1327–1387
Chinese
Ming dynasty, 1368–1644
1998-106
This long painting of bamboo and rocks bears the seals of the artist Song Ke and is appended to a work of calligraphy by him. While the calligraphy is original, the painting is not. Unfortunately, few examples of Song’s paintings survive. This work hints at what they might have looked like—mountains formed with thick, irregular lines that undulate as they describe a rock form, and short, spritely stalks of bamboo with thick clusters of leaves.
Information
Title
"Tao Qian's Poems," and "Bamboo and Rocks" (Tao Yuanming shi, Zhu shi xiaojing 陶淵明, 竹石小景)
Dates
1370
Maker
Medium
Handscroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
Calligraphy: 25.9 × 627.9 cm (10 3/16 × 247 3/16 in.)
Painting: 25.9 × 151 cm (10 3/16 × 59 7/16 in.)
mount: 27.6 cm (10 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of John B. Elliott, Class of 1951
Object Number
1998-106
Place Made
Asia, China
Signatures
signed
Inscription
dated 1370
inscriptions:
1. Artist's - 48 characters in 5 columns. Cursive-script. Between callig. and painting. Translated in Fong, Images (1984), p. 292.
2. Artist's - 96 characters in 4 columns. Regular-script. After painting. Translated in Fong, Images (1984), p. 292.
3. Artist's - 10 characters in 1 column. Running-script. after painting. Translated in Fong, Images (1984), p. 292.
Marks/Labels/Seals
Twelve characters in ink on label adhered to edge of rolled scroll
Artist's - 6 seals
"Song Zhungwen," 宋仲溫 (3) square intaglio (front, ln. 2, bottom; after running script section (Incorrectly described as a "relief" seal in Fong, Images of the Mind, p. 292.); after 2nd artist's insription)
"Dong-Wu sheng" 東吳生 (3) square intaglio (front, ln. 2, 2nd from bottom; after running script section; after 2nd artist's insription)
Collectors' -
Zhou Zhaolü 周兆呂 (dates unknown)
"Zhou Zhaolü yin," square relief (front, ln. 3, top)
Gu Yuntao 顧允燾 (dates unknown)
"Gu Yuntao," (5) square relief (front, ln. 3, 2nd from bottom; after running script section; before Ptg, right, 2nd from bottom; before Ptg, left, bottom; end right, 2nd from bottom)
Wu Bing 吳炳 (d. 1646; t. Kexian, h. Shiqu, native of Yixing, Jiangsu) or another artist of the same name (fl. Xianfeng reign, 1851-61; t. Zhonglan) [unlikely if the scroll was in the palace coll.]. For both men see Yu Jianhua 俞劍華 ed., Zhongguo meishujia renming zidian 中國美術家人名辭典 (Shang¬hai: Renmin meishu chuban she, 1981). From position of seals, Gu Yuntao predates Wu Bing.
"Wu Bing," (3) tall rect. relief (front, ln. 3, 3rd from bottom; after running script section; end, right, top)
Bian Yongyu 卞永譽 (1645-1712, t. Lingzhi, h. Xianke; see Arthur W. Hummel, Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1943), p. 626, note; his hao is miswritten as Xianrong),
"Shigutang" 式古堂 (8) tall rect. relief (over joints)
" Shigutang shuhua" 式古堂書畫 (3) tall rect. relief (front, 2nd from bottom; before Ptg, left, top; end, 3rd from bottom)
"Bian Lingzhi jianding" 卞令之鑒定 (2) square relief (before Ptg, left, mid¬dle; end, left, bottom)
"Xianke" 仙客 square relief (end, left, 2nd from bottom)
Official half seal
*** large relief (front, bottom right)
Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-95)
" Qianlong yulan zhi bao" 乾隆御覽之寶 large oval relief (front top)
"Shiqu baoji" 石渠寶笈 tall rect. relief (front, ln. 5, top)
"Yushufang jian cang bao" 御書房鑑藏寶 large oval (front, ln. 5, bottom)
Jiaqing emperor (r. 1796-1820)
"Jiaqing yulan zhi bao" 嘉慶御覽之寶 large square relief (front, 2nd from top)
Xuantong emperor (r. 1909-11)
"Xuantong yulan zhi bao" 宣統御覽之寶 large oval relief (after "Ming-tzu" poem)
"Xuantong jianshang" 宣統鑑賞 square relief (end, top)
"Wuyizhai jing jian xi" 無逸齋精鑒璽 tall rect. relief (end, left, 2nd from top)
Song Bangyi 宋邦義 (dates unknown)
"Bangyi," square intaglio (before Ptg, right top)
"Yunjian Song shi tushu" 云間宋氏圖書 tall rect. intaglio (end, middle, 2nd from bottom)
"Song Bangyi yin," tall rect. relief (end, middle, top) Song's
"Jushuntang zhen cang yin" 聚順堂珍藏印 (2) tall rect. relief (before Ptg, right 2nd from top; end, middle, 3rd from bottom) [probably Song's seal]
Unidentified
"Ruiguitang yin" 瑞龜堂印 (3) square intaglio (front, ln. 3, bottom; before Ptg, right, bottom; end, right, bottom)
"Baohuangtang" 寶璜堂 square relief (front, ln. 3, 4th from bottom)
"Haian" 海菴 square intaglio (before Ptg, right, 3rd from bottom)
"Te jin ronglu dafu" 特進榮祿大夫 tall rect. relief (end, middle, bottom)
Culture
Period
Materials
–1998 John B. Elliott (Princeton, NJ), by bequest to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1998.
- Wen C. Fong, Images of the mind: selections from the Edward L. Elliott family and John B. Elliott collections of Chinese calligraphy and painting at the Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: The Art Museum, Princeton University, 1984)., cat. no. 6
-
"The checklist of the John B. Elliott Bequest," Record of the Princeton University Art Museum 61 (2002): p. 49-99.
, p. 99
