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Three Purities
Zhang Xiong (Chinese, 1803–1886)
1878
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Overall: 168 x 44 cm (66 1/8 x 17 5/16 in.)
- Culture
- China, Xiaxing, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Chinese Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James S. Reid
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
As an artist, Zhang Xiong first attained fame in his native city Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. When the turmoil of the Taiping rebellion spread to his area, he decided to move to Shanghai where he became the elderly spokesman for the art scene in this newly rising metropolis. He is best remembered for his bird-and-flower paintings, of which this painting certainly is a fine example. "The Three Purities" refer to pine (symbol of longevity), plum blossoms (continual renewal of life), and bamboo (inner strength), plants that can endure and thrive during the winter season. A cluster of narcissus is a fitting complement as it is emblematic for immortality.
