Palace Ladies of the Cinnamon Hall and Orchid Palace
date: label: Date
content: 15th century
label: Period
content: Ming dynasty
name: label: Artist
content: Formerly attributed to Li Gonglin (傳)李公麟 (ca. 1049-1106)
notes: label: Label
content: This visually complex painting shows an exterior view of a palace harem, where the empress and imperial concubines took their leisure. Galleries and pavilions surround an artificial pond, in which two eunuchs calmly row a pair of pleasure craft past each other. In the pavilion at right, four other servants move furniture and sweep the floor, while palace ladies in elegant robes gather in small groups on the terraces of elaborate pavilions at back and left.
label: Label
content: Executed by a draughtsman of consummate skill, the entire composition is extraordinarily detailed: columns are visible through the slats of half-drawn blinds, the vertical posts of sculpted balustrades support small carved animals, while the intricate decorations of the roofs, walls, and carved gunwales of the boats are all fully realized. A later label attached to the scroll attributes this work to Li Gonglin, the great Northern Song dynasty master of baimiao (plain-outline) drawing; however, it is unknown if Li ever created such a design. Scholarly opinion has varied on the dating of this unsigned painting, but it was probably executed by a stylistic descendent of Li's during the fifteenth century.
label: Provenance
content: To 1919
label: Provenance
content: Wang Jiantang, Shanghai to 1919 [1]
label: Provenance
content: 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Wang Jiantang in 1919 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 1318, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. This object exhibits seals, colophons, or inscriptions that could provide additional information regarding the object’s history. See Curatorial Remarks in the object record for further details.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Women in Chinese Painting (November 9, 2013 to April 27, 2014)
label: Exhibition History
content: Palaces and Pavilions: Grand Architecture in Chinese Painting (September 29, 2002 to March 30, 2003)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Paintings, 1924 (June 2, 1924 to March 14, 1931)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Panels and Scrolls (May 2, 1923 to June 2, 1924)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Painting and Pottery (May 2, 1923 to March 22, 1943)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Wang Jiantang 王鑑堂 (late 19th-early 20th century) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: ruled-line painting
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: baimiao style
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1919.123
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 36.8 x 164.8 cm (14 1/2 x 64 7/8 in)