Dragonfly and lotus plants
date: label: Date
content: 16th--early 17th century
label: Period
content: Ming dynasty
notes: label: Label
content: Strong graphic designs with vibrant colors are among the best tapestries of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The use of large blocks of color to create a bold design corresponds to a similar visual effect in fahua ceramics and in cloisonne. This composition of lotuses features one of the most respected and beloved flowers in Chinese lore. Rising fragrant and unsoiled out of muddy water, the lotus symbolizes purity, integrity, and the idea of spiritual transcendence in the Buddhist tradition. It also carries another meaning-peace-based on the pronunciation of "lotus" in Chinese, "he," which sounds like a differently written word that means "peace." The dragonfly (qingting) adds another pun with words for "dragonfly" and "clear" sounding alike. Thus this image suggests clear, peaceful waters, which served as a rebus for the stability of the Ming government.
label: Provenance
content: To 1911
label: Provenance
content: Pang Yuanji (1864-1949), Shanghai, China, to 1911 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1911 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Pang Yuanji, in China, in 1911 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Album List, S.I. 28A, pg. 41, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
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: Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
label: Exhibition History
content: Luxury and Luminosity: Visual Culture and the Ming Court (July 3, 2004 to June 26, 2005)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Flower Paintings (March 18 to September 22, 1983)
label: Exhibition History
content: Bicentennial Exhibition: Chinese Art (December 5, 1975 to November 10, 1976)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Pang Yuanji 龐元濟 (1864-1949) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: slit tapestry
label: Topic
content: tapestry
label: Topic
content: silk (fiber)
label: Topic
content: Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
label: Topic
content: dragonfly
label: Topic
content: lotus
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: rock
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
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: F1911.163t
objectType: label: Type
content: Costume and Textile
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Silk tapestry (kesi): woven silk threads
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 41.9 x 64.8 cm (16 1/2 x 25 1/2 in)