The Knickknack Peddler

Also known as: The Knick-knack Peddler; The Knickknack Peddler 嬰戲貨郎圖

About the Artwork

The court artist Li Song from Hangzhou excelled in meticulous depictions of children, peddlers, and their various goods. Here, he captures a dramatic scene of children attacking a snake with a stick and stone. The peddler rushes toward the children, leaving his merchandise unattended. Painted during the reign of emperor Ningzong, the drama unfolding around vulnerable children may allude to Ningzong’s nine sons who died young, leaving him without a direct male descendant.

Inscriptions

Artist's inscription: 嘉定壬申李嵩畫; 1 colophon and 4 seals: 1 colophon and 3 seals of Li Zuoxian 李佐賢 [1807–1876]; 1 seal unidentified.

Exhibition history

Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965). Wang Chi-ch'ien, Album Leaves from the Sung and Yuan Dynasties. China House Gallery (organizer) (March 26-May 30, 1970). Chinese Paintings: Themes and Techniques. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 7-April 5, 1981). Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 11-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982). Fans: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 15, 1992-March 7, 1993). Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998). China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).

Quick Overview

Artist: Li Song (Chinese, active c. 1190–c. 1230)
Date: 1212
Medium: Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: Image: 24.1 x 26 cm (9 1/2 x 10 1/4 in.); with mat: 33.3 x 40.5 cm (13 1/8 x 15 15/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession no.: 1963.582

Provenance

Li Zuoxian 李佐賢 [1807–1876] Gushu 固叔, likely Bao Shizhen 鮑士貞, zi Gushu [1800s] ?–1963: (N. V. Hammer, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1963–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.