Pair of Mandarin Ducks on a Snowy Bank Artist, traditionally attributed: Ma Lin (Chinese, ca. 1180–after 1256)

late 15th–early 16th century

Asian Art

Not on view

Seasonal references are often embedded within Chinese flower-and-bird paintings, a tradition that can be traced to the tenth and eleventh centuries. The huddled postures of the two large mandarin ducks in the foreground intensify the sense of cold permeating the snowy bank and tree trunks. While the two smaller birds resting in the tree branches also appear to be resisting the cold, the blossoming plum flowers intimate the arrival of spring, suggesting that winter will soon give way to milder, more hospitable conditions.

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk

Dimensions

without mounting: 74 3/16 × 39 5/16 in. (188.5 × 99.8 cm)
with mounting: 120 × 45 1/2 in. (304.8 × 115.6 cm)

Credit Line

Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore

Accession Number

1954.40.12

Geography

China

Culture

Chinese

Period

Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Classification

Paintings

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Mrs. William H. Moore (1858–1955), New York, to 1954; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Masterpieces of Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties Collected Overseas (Hangzhou, China: Zhejiang da xue chu ban she, 2011),
  • George J. Lee, Selected Far Eastern Art in the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1970), 214, no. 422, ill
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

animal art, hanging scrolls

Subject

Mandarin ducks snow

Technical metadata and APIs

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