清/現代　齊白石　天竹圖　軸|Nandina

Qi Baishi

undated · Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The Nandina, called Southern Heavenly Bamboo (Nantianzhu) in Chinese, has a range of auspicious meanings. Its profusion of red berries symbolizes abundance, while the similarity of the words for “bamboo” (zhu 竹) and “wish” (zhu 祝) makes the image of the plant suitable for use in a range of rebuses, or multipart visual puns.

Artist

Qi Baishi

Date

undated

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Robert H. Ellsworth, 2014