Picture of the Cinnabar Peak / Sun Yi (Sun I)

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Record Details

Accession Number
1987/1.155
Title
Picture of the Cinnabar Peak
Artist Nationality
Chinese
Artist Life Dates
active mid-17th century
Object Creation Date
1657
Object Creation Place
Asia (continent)
China (nation)
Anhui (province)
Creation Place 1
Asia (continent)
Creation Place 2
China (nation)
Creation Place 3
Anhui (province)
Inscription
Inscription and seal of artist; Colophon and two seals by Yie Chung-lu (20th century)
Dimensions
114 cm x 46.4 cm (44 7/8 in. x 18 1/4 in.)
Century
17th century
Primary Object Classification
Painting
Primary Object Type
hanging scroll
Secondary Object Classification
Painting
Secondary Object Type
landscape
Physical Description
This is a delicate landscape. There are mountain crags, dispersed trees and bushes, and some houses/huts depicted. There is calligraphy on the upper right hand corner with one red seal, and towards the upper left corner with a red seal. There is also another red seal on the lower left hand corner. The colors are muted and are barely discernable from one another. There is a central jutting rock in the center of the painting that takes up a lot of horizontal space, and encourages the eye to travel upwards.
Subject Matter
This work depicts Mount Huang (Yellow Mountain), located in Anhui province in south-central China. A site of extraordinary natural beauty noted for its range of rocky peaks, it was a favorite subject of poets and painters for centuries. For artists from the region, including Sun Yi, whose hometown was at the foot of the peaks, Mount Huang was an inexhaustible theme. After the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) fell to the invading Manchus, Mount Huang took on a particular political significance. The isolated red peak towering/jutting above the surrounding green mountains in this painting most likely alludes to the struggle of the failing Ming court against the onslaught of the Manchus. This interpretation is strengthened by the artist’s inscription, which references/quotes a description of Mount Lu by the writer Wang Siren (dates?), known for his loyalty to the Ming court. Wang describes the mountain as “a red-colored castle on fire,” whose “high pinnacle almost pierces through the many layers of clouds.” [These words in combination with the image suggest Sun Yi’s [hopes for the eventual triumph of [Manchu-ruled Qing].
Examples of Sun Yi’s painting are extremely rare; The Cinnabar Peak, his only painting outside of China, is by far the finest example. (171 words)
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
753 x 1489
File Size
100 KB
Record
1987/1.155
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-1.155/1987_1.155.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1987-SL-1.155:1987_1.155.JPG

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"Picture of the Cinnabar Peak; Sun Yi (Sun I)." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1987-sl-1.155/1987_1.155.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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