現代　吳湖帆　曇花圖　軸|Night-blooming Cereus

Wu Hufan

dated 1940 · Hanging scroll; ink and color on alum paper · Asian Art

Wu Hufan's delicate sensibilities in the literati manner are evident in this collaborative effort among two calligraphers and the painter. The cereus, a species of cactus that flowers only briefly is used as a metaphor for intense loveliness savored with the knowledge that it will not endure. The poet renders a botanically accurate description of the sweet-scented flower: The flower blooms from the tip of the leaf. Its purple armor is covered by the rosy clouds of dawn. The yellow stamen sits in a jade bowl, And its hair-like curly petals are uneven. [Trans. Ellsworth et al, Later Chinese Painting]

Artist

Wu Hufan

Date

dated 1940

Medium

Hanging scroll; 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