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About the Artwork
The peacock, identified by the flamboyant tail, is paired with a female peahen to its right. In lowering her head, the hen seems to show respect to the male peacock. With his articulate brushstrokes and strong contrasting tones, Lin Liang’s representation in black ink appears as vivid as Yin Hong’s colorful peacock (1974.31). The painter skillfully uses wet and dry ink as well as broad and thin washes to represent the plumage of the bird. The surface of the rocks, depicted in powerful sweeping strokes, recalls the landscape painting style of the Zhe School, which specialized in expressive brushwork.
Inscriptions
林良. [印] 以善圖書
Exhibition history
1000 Jahre Chinesische Malerei. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Mùnich, Germany (organizer) (October 16-December 13, 1959). 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). The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990). Layers of Meaning: China’s Flora and Fauna in Painting and on Porcelain. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 2020-June 6, 2021).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Lin Liang (Chinese, 1416–1480)
- Date
- late 1400s-early 1500s
- Medium
- hanging scroll, ink on silk
- Dimensions
- Painting: 160 x 106 cm (63 x 41 3/4 in.); Overall with knobs: 256.5 x 133.3 cm (101 x 52 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Credit line
- Severance and Greta Millikin Collection
- Accession no.
- 1964.242
Provenance
Gao Jianfu 高劍父 [1878–1951] (Walter Hochstadter [1914-2007], Hong Kong, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Millikin) ?-1964: Severance A. [1895-1985] and Greta Millikin [1903-1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1964-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
More by Lin Liang in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009753
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