After a Song painting. Ink and colour on silk, laid on paper. With calligrapahy that is a bit faded. Here, two Manchurian cranes, identified by their distinctive red forehead, strolls through a corner of the palace garden. Stopping in midstride and turning its head. Above them in the tree two other birds are sitting. Measure motif 79.5x178 cm. Measure hanging 95x255 cm. Can be rolled up.
Damages, wear, stains, relined on new silk.
Provenance
Property of a private Finnish collection.
Literature
Paintings of this style often derives its subject from a composition by the emperor Huizong (r. 1100–25), who painted a set of six cranes in different poses.
More information
A favorite image and a familiar presence in imperial gardens as well as refined scholarly retreats, cranes were also renowned as the vehicles of Daoist immortals. Their long life span and loyalty to a single mate made them symbols of longevity and faithfulness.
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