H x W (image): 176.3 x 92 cm (69 7/16 x 36 1/4 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
China
Date:
16th-17th century
Period:
Ming dynasty
Label:
Known since the Song dynasty (960-1279) as the "king of birds," the phoenix symbolizes the emperor's power and prestige. Here, the regal phoenix towers over the other birds, who seem loath to gaze directly at it. The phoenix is often portrayed flanked by attendant birds-a role played here by two cranes. Moreover, a number of objects are exclusively associated with this mythical bird, among them the paulownia (wu tong) tree, whose branches it is believed are the only ones upon which a phoenix is willing to perch.
Provenance:
To 1916
Li Wenqing (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1916 [1]
From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing, in New York, in 1916 [2]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 1263, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, LVC Catalogue, 1915, No. 30.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Nine Deaths, Two Births: Xu Bing's Phoenix Project (April 27 to September 2, 2013)
Beyond Brushwork: Symbolism in Chinese Painting (April 29 to November 26, 2006)
Ancient Chinese Paintings, Sculptures, and Jade Objects from the Collection formed by Charles Lang Freer (November 15 to December 08, 1917)
Previous custodian or owner:
Li Wenqing 李文卿 (ca. 1869-1931) (C.L. Freer source)
