Basket of Flowers

Original Language Title清籃花冊頁

Artist Unknown

CultureChinese

Dateprobably Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

MediumAlbum leaf; colors on silk

DimensionsOverall: 9 1/4 × 8 3/4 inches (23.5 × 22.23 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number31-135/32 D

On View

Not on view

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionTall-handled basket of flowers with daisies, columbine, pinks, and roses.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, KS. Exhibition. November 1957-January 1959.

Gallery Label

Chinese flowers convey secret messages in different ways, and are often used as a form of word play. In Chinese, the daylilies on top of the flower basket have three names, each one carrying a different meaning:

Xuan 萱: It is an elegant nickname for mother, so this flower can be used to honor one’s mother.

Yi nan 宜男: The two-character phrase refers to many boys. If a pregnant woman wears this flower, she may wish to have a baby boy.

Wang you 忘憂: The phrase literally means that one forsakes sorrow. Therefore, if you send this flower to a grieving friend, it can help to relieve the friend’s sadness.

Provenance

Celestin Liu, Beijing, China;

Purchased from Celestin Liu by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931.

Published References

Joseph N. Newland, ed. essays by Lloyd Cotsen. Japanese bamboo baskets: masterworks of form & texture from the collection of Lloyd Cotsen. (Los Angeles: Cotsen Occasional Press, 1999), 65, fig. 3.

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