Peach-blossom Spring, c. 1805
Zhang Xiangexpand_more
Ink and color on paperexpand_more
The Donald McNeely Family Fund in tribute to Marjorie McNeelyexpand_more 2023.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
This painting depicts a scene from Peach-blossom Spring, a tale written by the renowned Chinese poet Tao Qian (365-428). The story, which takes place in the Taiyuan reign of the Jin dynasty (376-396), tells of a fisherman who discovers a small opening in a mountain from which issues a bubbling spring. When he passes through the opening, he discovers a utopia in which the old and young joyfully lived in harmony and happiness. The story would thereafter be held for centuries in China as a symbol of those who sought refuge from our tumultuous world.
Zhang Xiang’s evocative painting depicts the fisherman from the story on a stream, mooring his boat in the lower left-hand corner. He is tiny in comparison with the vast, idyllic land that spreads out before him, shrouded in mist. The stream winds its way through the mountainous landscape, and hidden dwellings appear beyond. Although it is beautiful, the landscape is framed by ominous, impassible bluffs of rock, conveying the inaccessible, untouchable nature of this idyllic realm.
The inscription reads,
山下春江一鏡開，江回山轉隔蓬萊。舟行仿佛聞雞犬，時有桃花出峽來。乙丑仲冬為鄭叔賢甥清玩。毓湖張湘，時年六十有五。
Beneath the mountains a spring river flows in abundance like a mirror,
the river winds and the mountains encircle, separating Penglai;
The boat travels as though hearing the chickens and dogs,
at times peach blossoms appear along the sides of the gorge.
During the middle of winter of the year 1805 ('), I painted this for the
pure pleasure of my cousin Zheng Shuxian. Zhang Xiang, called Yuhu,
at the age of sixty-five.”
Details
- Title
- Peach-blossom Spring
- Artist Life
- born c. 1741
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2023.1
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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