Hairpin Flowers, Hanging Scroll
Huang Shen
Qing Dynasty
- MEDIUM:Ink and color on silk
- FORMATS:Hanging scroll
- DIMENSIONS:Height 168 cm; Width 48 cm
Introduction
The painting depicts an elderly man adorning a Chinese peony in his hat, accompanied by two maidservants holding wine cups and a wine pot, creating a scene of refined leisure. The figures are rendered with lively expressions and meticulously structured clothing folds. Huang cleverly uses a graceful, twisting rock formation to extend the composition vertically, creating an open sky above and a denser arrangement below. At the upper left, a cursive inscription recounts the story of the “Four Officials pinned with Flowers”: when the Song dynasty minister Han Qi served as governor of Yangzhou, four peonies named “Golden Belt Circle” bloomed in the official garden. He invited Wang Gui, Wang Anshi, and Chen Shengzhi to enjoy wine and flowers; each had a peony pinned on their head, cut from the garden. And coincidentally, all four later became chancellors of the Northern Song. This painting, inspired by the “Four Officials Pinned Flowers,” may reflect Huang Shen’s own midlife yearning for recognition and success.
