Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009652About the Artwork
Min Zhen, who was orphaned at age 12 and developed an eccentric personality, was trained by Tang Yin (1682–1756), a writer, playwright, and superintendent of the imperial porcelain workshops in Jingdezhen. The connection to him may have enabled Min to stay in Beijing for a decade from around 1773. It is not clear whether he ever resided in Yangzhou, but his style is in many instances reminiscent of that of Yangzhou artist Huang Shen. The album was painted for his friend Dailili Shanren in exchange for a scholar’s stone. The paintings demonstrate the artist’s versatility and mature style in the last years of his life. While two leaves are rendered in unconventional compositions seen from above (Cat and Butterfly CMA 1985.71.5) and below (Banana Plant CMA 1985.71.11), they have a humorous touch. “Cat and butterfly” is a homophone for the Chinese characters “mao die,” meaning “octogenarian,” and express the wish for the recipient’s longevity. The banana plant stands for the world of literati but can also allude to Buddhism.
Inscriptions
Six seals appearing on the leaves: Min Zhen 閔貞; Zheng zhai 正齋; Qingqiao 青橋; Zhen 貞; Liao tang 蓼塘; Min Zhen zhi yin 閔貞之印。
Provenance
1788–?: Daili Shanren 戴笠山人 [active late 1700s] Ni Yun 倪耘 [d. 1864] Yan Shiqing 顏世清 [1873–1929] Xu Xiaopu 徐小圃 [1887–1961] c. mid-1900s: Ding Nianxian 丁念先 [1906–1969] ?–1985: (Eskenazi Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1985–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
When Salt was Gold: Yangzhou, City of Riches and Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 12-November 5, 2023).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Min Zhen (Chinese, 1730–after 1788)
- Date
- 1788
- Medium
- album leaf, ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 29 x 18.4 cm (11 7/16 x 7 1/4 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1985.71.5
More by Min Zhen in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009652
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