Eagle on a Tree Trunk, by Huang Shen, 1755
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Eagle on a Tree Trunk

Huang Shen (Chinese, 1687–after 1768)

1755

Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
Image: 124 x 45 cm (48 13/16 x 17 11/16 in.); Overall: 213.2 x 61.2 cm (83 15/16 x 24 1/8 in.)
Culture
China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art, Chinese Art
Credit line
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

Huang Shen’s swift painting style is paralleled in his calligraphy. The vertical line in running script echoes the fluid form of the eagle on a tree trunk covered with a twisted vine. A native of Fujian province, Huang came to Yangzhou in 1724 to make his living as a painter. He needed years to develop a style that met the taste of his clients. He eventually became known as a figure painter and as one of the Eccentrics from Yangzhou, a group of local artists known for their unorthodox painting style.