Presenting Lichee Fruit on a Carved Ice Platter, in the style of Tang Yin / Gai Qi (Kai Ch'i) / Attributed to
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1982/2.51
- Title
- Presenting Lichee Fruit on a Carved Ice Platter, in the style of Tang Yin
- Artist
- Gai Qi (Kai Ch'i)
- Artist Nationality
- Chinese
- Artist Life Dates
- (1774 - 1829)
- Medium and Support
- hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1900
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Shanghai Shi (municipality)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Shanghai Shi (municipality)
- Dimensions
- 165.26 cm x 39.4 cm (65 1/16 in. x 15 1/2 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- hanging scroll
- Secondary Object Classification
- Painting
- Secondary Object Type
- figure painting
- Physical Description
- Vertically long image. Ink on silk. Multiple figures gathered near a table. Vegetation in the lower left.
- Subject Matter
- The artist Gai Qi was from a family of Muslim origin that lived in southeastern China, near the port city of Shanghai. A professional painter living entirely on his art, he is best known for delicately rendered images of beautiful women. This garden scene of two young maids serving their mistress a platter of lichee fruit refers to the legendary incident in which when lichees were presented to Yang Guifei (719-756), the favorite consort of the Minghuang Emperor (r. 712–756) during the Tang dynasty. Lichees grow only in southern China, and the fruit was rushed north on horseback each summer to please the extravagant taste of Yang Guifei and her court ladies. One year when celebrating Yang’s birthday, the Emperor named his musical composition The Fragrance of Lichee. After Yang was killed in a riot, the annual arrival of the fruit reminded the emperor of his lost love and caused him great sorrow. This bittersweet motif is often found in Chinese literature and painting.
- Secondary Keywords
- asian
- containers
- containers by function or context
- containers for serving and consuming food
- culinary containers
- descriptors
- dishes
- forms
- making art
- materials
- materials by origin
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by gender
- plant material
- serving dishes
- vessels for serving and consuming food
- visual works
- visual works by subject type
- 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
- 419 x 1341
- File Size
- 41 KB
- Record
- 1982/2.51
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1982-sl-2.51/1982_2.51.jpg
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Related Links
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- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1982-SL-2.51:1982_2.51.JPG
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- Full citation
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"Presenting Lichee Fruit on a Carved Ice Platter, in the style of Tang Yin; Gai Qi (Kai Ch'i); Attributed to." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1982-sl-2.51/1982_2.51.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 12, 2024.