Chinese Fu Lu Tu — Gourds and Two Red Birds

Scroll

-

The Curio Cabinet Collection

Name/Title

Chinese Fu Lu Tu — Gourds and Two Red Birds

Entry/Object ID

WH0105

Description

Chinese-style ink-and-color hanging scroll depicting two red-plumaged birds perched among dense gourd vines, broad gray-green foliage, and pendant yellow-green fruit. Expressive black brushwork and layered olive, ochre, and muted green washes create an energetic composition in the xieyi flower-and-bird tradition. The gourds symbolize prosperity, blessings, longevity, and abundance, reinforced by the inscription Fu Lu Tu (Picture of Fortune and Prosperity). Additional calligraphy and red seals accompany the painting within a cream floral-patterned scroll mounting.

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper-to-Cloth

Subject

Two red-plumaged birds perched among climbing gourd vines, broad foliage, and hanging fruit

Category

Chinese Painted Art

Made/Created

Artist

Maker presently unidentified

Time Period

20th Century

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Asia

Culture/Tribe

Chinese

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Principal title provisionally read 福祿圖 (Fú Lù Tú), “Picture of Fortune and Prosperity.” Additional inscription potentially reads 賞雨軒主人畫 (Shǎng Yǔ Xuān Zhǔrén huà), “Painted by the Master of the Rain-Appreciation Studio”; reading unverified. An intervening passage may contain a date or seasonal reference, not yet conclusively transcribed. Three red seals visible: one small seal adjacent to the signature, one rectangular seal below it, and another at the lower-left of the painting. Seal characters remain unidentified. Similar inscriptions and seals appear on related scroll WH0104, suggesting a possible common artist or studio.

Dimensions

Width

21-1/2 in

Length

55-3/4 in

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase