Ducks in a Lotus Pond

The lotus flower has long been associated with Chinese notions of purity. Growing from the muddy bottom of the pond, the blossoms reveal a pure and radiant beauty. The name of the flower, "he," sounds like the Chinese word for harmony. Paired with the male and female ducks, these lotuses may have been painted to wish a couple harmony in their marriage.

When this painting was remounted eighty or ninety years ago, it was identified as a work of the Sung dynasty (960-1279), and the false signature of Liu I-chih was probably added at that time. Although the interest in meticulous realism can be traced back to Sung times, the composition and peculiar point of view--with giant lotuses and tiny ducks--suggest a date in the 17th or 18th century.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Panama-Pacific International Exposition, China Pavilion, San Francisco, 1915 [no. 122]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1915, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.