明 呂紀 鴛鴦芙蓉圖 軸|Mandarin ducks and cotton rose hibiscus

Lü Ji

late 15th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

Big, colorful, and dazzling, this painting demonstrates why Lü Ji became the most revered bird-and-flower painter at the court of the Ming emperor Hongzhi (r. 1488–1505). Hung in a palace, this work would have added a splash of pizzazz, brightening the interior space with the vitality of the natural world. Like most of Lü’s paintings, this one also has a symbolic dimension: the pair of mandarin ducks in the foreground connote a happy marriage, while the surrounding flowers form rebuses (visual puns) that underscore the message. For instance, the word for “hibiscus” (furong 芙蓉) combines with “cassia” (gui 桂) to form the rebus furong qigui 夫榮妻貴, meaning “prosperous groom, honorable bride”—the perfect painting to celebrate a wedding.

Artist

Lü Ji

Date

late 15th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Ex coll.: C. C. Wang Family, Gift of Oscar L. Tang Family, 2005