Artwork Page for Pipa (Loquats)

Details / Information for Pipa (Loquats)

Pipa (Loquats)

枇杷圖

c. 1888–89

Xugu 虛谷

(Chinese, 1823–1896)
Culture
China, Yangzhou, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Painting: 112.6 x 52.2 cm (44 5/16 x 20 9/16 in.); Overall (no knobs): 231 x 70.5 cm (90 15/16 x 27 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1999.6
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

Xugu inscribed his painting on the right, dedicating it to a Mr. Youshan. Two additional inscriptions by other writers were added later, each time the painting changed owners.

Description

The loquat is a plant native to China that produces a juicy, yellow fruit in early summer. The artist may have intentionally extended the branches beyond the paper to emphasize the abundance of fruit. Xugu’s subjects of flowers, goldfish, and loquats express wishes for abundance and wealth, and must have appealed to his patrons.

Xugu gave up his career as a military official during the Taiping rebellion (1850–64) and became an itinerant monk who painted for a living. He spent the later years of his life in Shanghai and his fame as an artist is associated with that city.
An ink and color hanging scroll features slender branches reaching upward, laden with clusters of orange-yellow and pale green loquat fruits. Large, dark gray serrated leaves are rendered with loose, expressive brushstrokes. Columns of Chinese calligraphy in varying thicknesses flank the composition on the right and in lower corner blocks. Small red square seals accent the black ink text against a cream-colored background.

Pipa (Loquats)

c. 1888–89

Xugu

(Chinese, 1823–1896)
China, Yangzhou, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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