Qian Huian
Two Figures on a Balcony1833-1922

Not on view

Chinese ink and color painting on paper, two women in robes seated on a latticed terrace beside a paper lantern, with a crane in flight below and a gnarled flowering tree above

Artist or Maker: Qian Huian
Title: Two Figures on a Balcony
Place Made: China
Date Made: 1833-1922
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 9 1/8 x 15 1/4 in. (23.18 x 38.74 cm); Mount: 55 1/2 x 20 in. (140.97 x 50.8 cm); Roller: 20 in. (50.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Jerry Solomon, Los Angeles, California
Accession Number: M.91.307.5
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Chinese and Korean Art
Curatorial Notes: This painting depicts a scene from chapter 76 of the Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the most influential novels in Chinese literary history, written by Cao Xueqin in the mid-eighteenth century. In the scene, two heroines, Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun, sit in the open-air Ao Pavilion—short for Aojing guan, “Concave Crystal Pavilion”—overlooking a pond. Inspired by the full moon in the sky and its reflection on the water, they compose and chant couplets, including one in response to the sight of a white crane: “The flame of the candlestick at the window is dim, / On the cold pond, the shadow of a crane crossed by.” All of the elements in Qian’s painting—the pond, the crane, the full moon, the candlestick—are drawn from Cao’s novel and have symbolic resonance. The inscription reads: “Chanting Couplets at the Ao Pavilion, Qingxi qiaozi [Qian’s sobriquet].” The seal reads: “Jisheng” [the artist’s style name].”

Qian Hui’an made other paintings featuring protagonists and scenes from the Dream of the Red Chamber. Born outside Shanghai, he was active in the city’s cultural circles and established a reputation as an accomplished figure painter in the late Qing dynasty. He was a founding member of the Duckweed Flower Club (Pinghuashe) and became the first director of the Yu Garden Calligraphy and Painting Charitable Society (Yuyuan shuhua shanhui), which counted among its members important artists such as Wu Changshi and Wang Zhen.

Wan Kong

2024

Qian Huian
Two Figures on a Balcony1833-1922

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Qian Huian
Title: Two Figures on a Balcony
Place Made: China
Date Made: 1833-1922
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 9 1/8 x 15 1/4 in. (23.18 x 38.74 cm); Mount: 55 1/2 x 20 in. (140.97 x 50.8 cm); Roller: 20 in. (50.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Jerry Solomon, Los Angeles, California
Accession Number: M.91.307.5
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: Chinese and Korean Art
Curatorial Notes: This painting depicts a scene from chapter 76 of the Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the most influential novels in Chinese literary history, written by Cao Xueqin in the mid-eighteenth century. In the scene, two heroines, Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun, sit in the open-air Ao Pavilion—short for Aojing guan, “Concave Crystal Pavilion”—overlooking a pond. Inspired by the full moon in the sky and its reflection on the water, they compose and chant couplets, including one in response to the sight of a white crane: “The flame of the candlestick at the window is dim, / On the cold pond, the shadow of a crane crossed by.” All of the elements in Qian’s painting—the pond, the crane, the full moon, the candlestick—are drawn from Cao’s novel and have symbolic resonance. The inscription reads: “Chanting Couplets at the Ao Pavilion, Qingxi qiaozi [Qian’s sobriquet].” The seal reads: “Jisheng” [the artist’s style name].”

Qian Hui’an made other paintings featuring protagonists and scenes from the Dream of the Red Chamber. Born outside Shanghai, he was active in the city’s cultural circles and established a reputation as an accomplished figure painter in the late Qing dynasty. He was a founding member of the Duckweed Flower Club (Pinghuashe) and became the first director of the Yu Garden Calligraphy and Painting Charitable Society (Yuyuan shuhua shanhui), which counted among its members important artists such as Wu Changshi and Wang Zhen.

Wan Kong

2024