Plum Blossom Paintings and Poems, Album Leaves
Gao Fenghan
Qing Dynasty
- MEDIUM:Ink and color on paper
- FORMATS:Album of 8 leaves, 16 pages
- DIMENSIONS:Height 23.5 cm; Width 28.7 cm
Introduction
Created by Gao Fenghan at the age of sixty-three, using his left hand, the album contains eight paintings of plum blossoms, titled in sequence: Plum Beside a Rock, Plum Resting on Snow, Plum in Misty Air, Plum in Reflected Shadows, Plum Hiding the Moon, Plum Beside a Desk, Plum Washed by Rain, and Plum with Fallen Petals. Each painting is accompanied by a poem that harmonizes with the painted scene. Known for his depictions of wild plum trees, Gao painted gnarled, thorn-like branches in varying densities, their sturdy, upright forms undaunted by frost and snow, embodying tenacious vitality. In his inscription at the end of the album, he modestly remarked that in sixty years he had “worn out” and “spoiled” much paper and ink, and in the eight or nine years since switching to his left hand—after the disability of his right—he had “wasted” many more. The work reveals both his perseverance and his dedication.
Each page bears the collector’s seal of Pei Jingfu, a noted connoisseur of the late Qing and Republican periods.
