Chinese Bian Embroidery, Apes Crying in the Ba Gorge, After Fan Zeng

Scroll

-

The Curio Cabinet Collection

Name/Title

Chinese Bian Embroidery, Apes Crying in the Ba Gorge, After Fan Zeng

Entry/Object ID

WH0106

Description

Chinese Bian-style pictorial embroidery depicting a robed scholar or traveler looking upward toward two apes in an overhanging tree beside a rocky stream. Executed in closely spaced, directional threads that recreate the linework and tonal effects of traditional Chinese ink painting, the composition draws upon the literary theme of apes calling through the Yangtze River gorges, evoking distance, contemplation, and longing. The work reproduces a composition attributed to the modern Chinese painter Fan Zeng and is presented in a patterned hanging-scroll mounting with a fitted textile-covered box bearing the title Ba Xia Ti Yuan (Apes Crying in the Ba Gorge).

Artwork Details

Medium

see notes below

Subject

A robed scholar or traveler looking upward toward two dark-furred apes in an overhanging tree, within a rocky riverside landscape

Category

Chinese Embroidery Art

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Maker presently unidentified

Attribution

Attributed to Fan Zeng

Time Period

20th Century

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Asia

Culture/Tribe

Chinese

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Presentation-box label: 中国汴绣 (Zhōngguó Biànxiù), “Chinese Bian Embroidery”; 范曾作品 (Fàn Zēng zuòpǐn), “Work by Fan Zeng,” identifying the source artwork; 巴峡啼猿 (Bā Xiá Tí Yuán), “Apes Crying in the Ba Gorge.” Artwork inscription: The first characters appear to read 己巳 (jǐsì), a cyclical year corresponding potentially to 1989, 1929, or another 60-year equivalent. Additional characters may record a season, location, and an artist signature, possibly including 北京 (Běijīng) and 范曾 (Fàn Zēng); complete reading is preliminary. Two embroidered rectangular seal impressions beneath the inscription are not yet fully deciphered.

Dimensions

Width

20 in

Length

65-3/8 in

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase

General Notes

Note Type

Cataloging Note

Note

Colored silk-like embroidery threads on a pale woven textile ground; patterned brocade-style mounting, scroll rods, fabric-lined presentation box.