Scholar's Winter Retreat / Gai Qi (Kai Ch'i)
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1981/2.133
- Title
- Scholar's Winter Retreat
- Artist
- Gai Qi (Kai Ch'i)
- Artist Nationality
- Chinese
- Artist Life Dates
- (1774 - 1829)
- Medium and Support
- fan mounted as an album leaf, ink and color on paper
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1820
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Inscription
- Signed: Kai Ch'i; Dated: keng-ch'en (1820), eighth month. With an inscription by Huang Ju indicating tht the painting was presented to the artist Ch'ien Tu (1763-1844). Seals: One of Kai Ch'i: Kai Ch'i. One of Huang Jun: (undecipherable). Three collectors' seals: Chang Shou-chieh yin, Yung-yü shu-chai, Kuei an lu hsin yüan shen-ting. Additional inscription: On the mounting, giving biographical information about the artists and with three seals on the mount, including Teng kang wu kang, Ch'ing Yao and one other.
- Dimensions
- 17.6 cm x 51.3 cm (6 15/16 in. x 20 3/16 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- album leaf
- Secondary Object Classification
- Painting
- Secondary Object Type
- bird and flower
- Physical Description
- A scholar sits in a relaxed posture at his desk looking at cut plum blossoms in a white vase; before him is an empty sheet of paper and ink stone, and by his side an attendant is boiling water for tea. A crane tucks her head and leg to keep herself warm in the cold winter air. The scholar seems to be contemplating a subject to be drawn or written, perhaps related to the flowers.
- Subject Matter
- A crane—an auspicious bird that denotes longevity—tucks her head and leg to keep herself warm in the cold winter air. Plum blossoms, like bamboo, were a favorite subject of literati artists (educated public servants who practiced painting and calligraphy), for their beauty and sweet fragrance. They were also a symbol of great moral integrity because they bloom in early spring when there is still snow.
- The colophon is by Huang Chun and indicates that the painting was presented to the artist Chien Tu (1763-1844). There are a seals of the artist Gai Qi, Huang Chun, and three collectors.
- Primary Keywords
- crane
- fan (costume accessory)
- fan-shaped
- ink
- kettle
- plumb blossoms
- scholar
- table (support furniture)
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- attributes and properties
- attributes and properties by specific type
- birds
- buildings and the land
- coating (material)
- coating by form
- containers
- containers by form
- costume
- costume accessories
- costume accessories carried
- crane (bird)
- deciduous trees
- descriptors
- form attributes
- furnishings
- furnishings by form or function
- furniture
- furniture by form or function
- landscapes (environments)
- materials
- materials by function
- natural landscapes
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by degree of qualification
- plants
- settlements and landscapes
- shape
- support furniture
- trees
- trees by leaf life
- vegetation and vegetation components
- vegetation components
- vessels
- woody plants
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1475 x 799
- File Size
- 96 KB
- Record
- 1981/2.133
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1981-sl-2.133/1981_2.133.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1981-SL-2.133:1981_2.133.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Scholar's Winter Retreat; Gai Qi (Kai Ch'i)." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1981-sl-2.133/1981_2.133.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 18, 2024.