清 沙馥 桃李芳園圖 摺扇|The Peach and Plum Garden

Sha Fu

1879 · Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on alum paper · Asian Art

The painter has captured the pleasures of a gathering of friends in a garden on a spring night. A firefly lamp hangs from a branch to light the scrolls upon the table, and a servant boy brings a covered dish of cakes. At the far left, a member of the group is inspired to lift his cup in toast to the spring air. The figures, in a variety of three-dimensional poses comfortably occupy a complex landscape. Sha Fu uses powdered white pigment to pick out the blossoms and accented brushwork to enliven a traditional theme.

Artist

Sha Fu

Date

1879

Medium

Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on alum paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986