photo: Masatsugu Nokubo
Currently not on view
Ink Prunus,
1808
Wan Shanglin 萬上遴, 1739–1813
Chinese
Qing dynasty, 1644–1912
2006-31
On this finger-painting, the artist transcribed a poem by the Emperor Jianwen of Liang (503–551): The year turns, the ether is new,
Rousing the plants and stirring the earth.
The plum breaks into blossom before other trees,
She alone has the gift of recognizing spring.
Now, receiving yang, she brings forth gold,
Now, mingling with snow, she wears a cloak of silver. She exhales glamor and lights up the grove on all four sides,
She spreads splendor at the meeting of five roads,
As jades are joined and pearls strewn, So ice is hung and hail spread.
Tender leaves sprout, not yet formed;
Branches pull out fresh shoots and stick them onto old twigs,
Petals from the treetop fall halfway and fly in the air,
Sweet scent goes with the wind to faraway places. (translation by Hans H. Fränkel)
Rousing the plants and stirring the earth.
The plum breaks into blossom before other trees,
She alone has the gift of recognizing spring.
Now, receiving yang, she brings forth gold,
Now, mingling with snow, she wears a cloak of silver. She exhales glamor and lights up the grove on all four sides,
She spreads splendor at the meeting of five roads,
As jades are joined and pearls strewn, So ice is hung and hail spread.
Tender leaves sprout, not yet formed;
Branches pull out fresh shoots and stick them onto old twigs,
Petals from the treetop fall halfway and fly in the air,
Sweet scent goes with the wind to faraway places. (translation by Hans H. Fränkel)
Information
Title
Ink Prunus
Dates
1808
Maker
Medium
Hanging scroll; finger-painted ink on paper
Dimensions
Painting: 135.3 x 70.3 cm. (53 1/4 x 27 11/16 in.)
Mount: 224 x 84.7 cm. (88 3/16 x 33 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Robert L. Poster, Class of 1962, and Amy Poster, in honor of Wen C. Fong,
Class of 1951 and Graduate School Class of 1958, and Constance Tang Fong
Object Number
2006-31
Place Made
Asia, China
Signatures
Signed: 輞岡上遴 “Wanggang Shanglin”
Inscription
5-line inscription; dated wu chen zi yue
年歸氣新，搖云動塵。梅花特早，偏能識春。或承陽而發金，乍雜雪而被銀。吐艷四照之林，舒榮五衢之路。既玉綴而珠離，且冰懸而雹布。葉嫩出而未成，枝抽心而插故。標半落而飛空，香隨風而遠度
"The year turns, the ether is new,
Rousing the plants and stirring the earth.
The plum breaks into blossom before other trees,
She alone has the gift of recognizing spring.
Now, receiving yang, she brings forth gold,
Now, mingling with snow, she wears a cloak of silver.
She exhales glamor and lights up the grove on all four sides,
She spreads splendor at the meeting of five roads,
As jades are joined and pearls strewn,
So ice is hung and hail spread.
Tender leaves sprout, not yet formed;
Branches pull out fresh shoots and stick them onto old twigs,
Petals from the treetop fall halfway and fly in the air,
Sweet scent goes with the wind to faraway places."
Poem composed by Xiao Gang (蕭綱，Emperor Jianwen of Liang 梁簡文帝, 503-551, and the translation was done by Hans H. Fränkel (1916 – 2003) 傅漢思; pinyin: Fù Hànsī, a German-American sinologist.
Marks/Labels/Seals
5 seals
Tag [Sotheby's] attached to rolled scroll: 139
Artist seals:
"Wan Shanglin yin"萬上遴印, square intaglio (right, upper)
"Wei wu ming zhi tu qi" 爲無名指吐氣, tall rectangular relief (right, 2nd from top)
Collectors' seals
Culture
Period
Materials
Subject
–1985 Sotheby’s auction (New York, NY), sold to Robert L. Poster and Amy Poster (New York, NY), 1985.
1985–2006 Robert L. Poster and Amy Poster (New York, NY), by gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2006.
1985–2006 Robert L. Poster and Amy Poster (New York, NY), by gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2006.
