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Additional Views

Apr 21, 2004

Mar 5, 2013

Eagle on a Tree Trunk

古槎秋鷹圖

1755

Huang Shen 黃愼

(Chinese, 1687–1772)

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong reign

(1736-95)

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper

Image: 124 x 45 cm (48 13/16 x 17 11/16 in.); Overall: 213.2 x 61.2 cm (83 15/16 x 24 1/8 in.)

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1977.31

Location

not on view

Did you know?

With its wings partially lifted and sharp beak open in expectation, the eagle seems intent on some unseen prey below.

Description

Huang Shen’s swift painting style is reflected in his writing. While the vertical line in running script style calligraphy (caoshu) counterbalances the eagle on a tree trunk, the vine twisting its way up continues the fluency of the brushwork, creating a superb composition. The rendering of eagles is exceptional in his work.

A native of Fujian, Huang Shen came to Yangzhou in 1724 to make his living as a painter in a city of wealthy merchants. Huang needed years to develop a style that met the taste of his clients. He eventually became known as a figure painter and as one of the Eccentrics from Yangzhou, a group of local artists known for their unorthodox painting style. According to his inscription, Huang executed this painting at age 69, two days before the Lantern Festival in 1755.

Inscriptions

Inscription

乾隆乙亥年燈節前二日癭瓢子慎写。 [印]黃慎; 恭壽。

Inscription Translation

Artist's inscription, signature, and 2 seals: Two days before the Lantern Festival in the yihai year of Qianlong [1755], drawn by Yingpiaozi, Shen. [seals] Huang Shen; Gongshou.

Provenance

before 1963

Pu Ru 溥儒 [1895–1963]

?-1977

Richard Nathanson [20th century], London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1977-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Jiao yu bu di er ci quan guo mei shu zhan lan hui zhuan ji [敎育部第二次全國美術展覽會專集= A special collection of the second National Exhibition of Chinese Art under the auspices of the Ministry of Education]. Nanjing: Shang wu yin shu guan, 1937. cat. no. 332

Sirén, Osvald. Chinese Painting: Leading Masters and Principles. New York: Ronald Press, 1956. Mentioned: VII, Lists, 348

Fukunaga, Takehiko 福永武彥, and Howard L. Rogers. Kinnō, Bunjinga suihen. chiyūgo (9) 金農, 文人画粋編. 中国篇 9. Tōkyō: Chūōkoronsha, 1976. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 172, pl. 47

Ho, Wai-kam, Sherman E. Lee, Laurence Sickman, and Marc F. Wilson. Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting: The Collections of the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1980. Referenced: cat. no. 269, pp. 367-368

Chung, Anita. "Traditions and The Modernist Vision: Chinese Paintings of Chen Wen Hsi." In Convergences: Chen Wen Hsi centennial exhibition [汇流 : 陈文希百年诞辰纪念展 = Hui liu: Chen Wenxi bai nian dan chen ji nian zhan]. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2006 Mentioned and Reproduced: p.192, fig. 1

Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 454-456

Exhibition history

Chiao-yü-pu. [Jiao yu bu di er ci quan guo mei shu zhan lan hui zhuan ji 敎育部第二次全國美術展覽會專集= A special collection of the second National Exhibition of Chinese Art under the auspices of the Ministry of Education]. Nanking Art Gallery, Nanjing, China (April 1-23, 1937).

Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 10-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982).

Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 119). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 16-July 13, 2004).

Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 242). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 28, 2014-January 7, 2015).

Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).

Power and Possession: Chinese Calligraphy and Inscribed Objects – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 13, 2018-February 3, 2019).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Eagle on a Tree Trunk|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.31|author=Huang Shen|year=1755|access-date=01 April 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Eagle on a Tree Trunk

Eagle on a Tree Trunk

古槎秋鷹圖

Huang Shen 黃愼

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Description

Inscription

Inscription Translation

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