Mandarin ducks under smartweed
date: label: Date
content: 16th century
label: Period
content: Ming dynasty
name: label: Artist
content: Formerly attributed to Xu Xi (active mid-10th century)
notes: label: Label
content: A pair of mandarin ducks huddle together on the bank under the tall smartweed. Mandarin ducks, among the most beautiful of all ducks, are always found in pairs. Therefore, they are the most favorable and frequent symbol of conjugal felicity in China. In the upper portion of the composition there is another pair of song birds; one in the air flying toward the other one, which is perched on the smartweed. This is an excellent Ming painting based on a Sung composition, with an interpolated signature of the tenth-century master Hsu Hsi.
label: Provenance
content: To 1909
label: Provenance
content: Loong Shing Company, Hong Kong, to 1909 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1909 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Loong Shing Company, Hong Kong, in 1909 [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 Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 647, 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: Chinese Bird and Flower Painting (December 17, 1993 to May 31, 1994)
label: Exhibition History
content: Masterpieces of Chinese Painting (II) (May 9, 1993 to May 31, 1994)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Bird and Flower Painting (January 27, 1986 to June 30, 1986)
label: Exhibition History
content: Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 18 (February 25, 1956 to February 4, 1957)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting, Gallery 2, 1955 (April 11, 1955 to November 10, 1955)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (May 6, 1946 to November 17, 1955)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 1943 (October 4, 1943 to August 7, 1946)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Scrolls (July 19, 1943 to April 30, 1946)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Panels and Han Pottery (February 25, 1925 to July 19, 1943)
label: Exhibition History
content: Stone Sculpture, Buddhist Bronze, and Chinese Painting (May 2, 1923 to February 25, 1956)
label: Exhibition History
content: A Selection of Art Objects from the Freer Collection Exhibited in the New Building of the National Museum (April 15 to June 15, 1912)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Loong Shing Company (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: bird
label: Topic
content: duck
label: Topic
content: Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: bird and flower
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: F1909.192
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink and color on silk
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 181.8 × 76.7 cm (71 9/16 × 30 3/16 in)