Eagle, Bear, and Waterfall | Yale University Art Gallery

late 15th–early 16th century

Admired for their martial spirits, eagles and hawks (both ying in Chinese) represent courage and the ability to act swiftly and boldly. In this painting, an eagle in the foreground is shown with a bear (xiong) in the landscape below, creating the rebus for the word “hero” (or yingxiong). The cascading waterfall at the left, lush vegetation, and red leaves at the right depict the transition from summer to autumn.

Medium: Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Dimensions: with mounting: 100 × 42 5/16 in. (254.001 × 107.4 cm)
with rollers: 44 3/4 in. (113.6 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with gifts from Ruth and Bruce B. Dayton, B.A. 1940; The Henry Luce Foundation at the request of H. Christopher Luce, B.A. 1972; and the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., Class of 1913, Fund, in honor of Professor Richard M. Barnhart
Accession Number: 2004.32.1a-b
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

Kososhi Unshodo, Kyoto, Japan; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.

Bibliography

Art for Yale: Collecting for a New Century, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2007), 136, 374, pl. 123

Object copyright

No Copyright - United States

Additional information

Object/Work type

hanging scrolls

Subject

bears eagles (birds) waterfalls

Technical metadata and APIs

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