The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Eagle on a Tree Trunk

Eagle on a Tree Trunk

1755
(Chinese, 1687–after 1768)
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 paralleled in his calligraphy. The vertical line in running script echoes the fluid form of the eagle on a tree trunk covered with a twisted vine. A native of Fujian province, Huang came to Yangzhou in 1724 to make his living as a painter. He 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.
  • Pu Ru 溥儒 [1895–1963]
    ?–1977
    Richard Nathanson [20th century], London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1977–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • 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
  • When Salt was Gold: Yangzhou, City of Riches and Art (Chinese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 12-November 5, 2023).
    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).
    Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 242). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 28, 2014-January 7, 2015).
    Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 119). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 16-July 13, 2004).
    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).
    Year in Review: 1977. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1977-January 22, 1978).
    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).
  • {{cite web|title=Eagle on a Tree Trunk|url=false|author=Huang Shen|year=1755|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1977.31