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Cliff with Orchid and Bamboo
Cliff with Orchid and Bamboo
Cliff with Orchid and Bamboo

Cliff with Orchid and Bamboo

Datecirca 1915
MediumHanging scroll, brush and ink on paper
DimensionsPanel: 52 1/2 × 12 in. (133.4 × 30.5 cm)
Mounting: 81 × 19 3/4 in. (205.7 × 50.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Cunningham in honor of Richard A. Born
Object number2000.17
Terms
  • Chosen
  • Colonial Period (1910-1945)
Object TypePaintings
On View
Not on view
Adhering to revered Chinese literary and pictorial traditions, highly educated members of the court of the Korean Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) designated the orchid, along with bamboo, the chrysanthemum, and the plum blossom, as the "Four Gentlemen." Because the wild orchid blooms in the isolation of mountains and forests, painters viewed it as a natural reflection of the true scholar's virtue: a pure flower whose fragrance is rivaled only by its solitary beauty. The orchid's slender, elongated leaves and delicate petals lent themselves to calligraphic expression here rendered in the same black ink used for brushing the accompanying Chinese texts. The inscription in the upper-left section of the painting panel, unsigned and bearing two unidentified seals, reads, "Clear water in autumn / Fresh, green bamboo." Gim's signature appears at the bottom right of the composition, but differences between the calligraphy and painting techniques, suggest that this scroll could be a collaborative work.
Bamboo in Wind
Gim Gyu-jin (金圭鎭)
n.d.
Bamboo in Wind
Gim Gyu-jin (金圭鎭)
n.d.
Wild Geese and Reeds
Gim Yun-Bo (金允輔)
n.d., probably early to mid- 20th century
Bamboo
Bak Jae-Hyeon (朴載鉉)
1908
Rocks and Orchids
Yun Yong-gu 尹用求 (Yun Yeong-Gu)
early 20th century
Winter Landscape
Heo Ryeon (許鍊)
n.d.
Untitled
Gim Yi-kyung (金益寧)
2003
Yun Yong-gu 尹用求 (Yun Yeong-Gu)
late 19th - early 20th century
Carp and Crab
Unknown Artist
19th century
Rock (竹方修石方貞)
Jung Hakgyo (丁學敎)
circa 1912