Hall of Lofty Pines

1703

Wang Hui

Wang Hui (Chinese, 1632–1717)

Chinese Art

Hall of Lofty Pines, 1703. Wang Hui (Chinese, 1632–1717). Handscroll, ink on paper; overall: 40.7 cm (16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1997.106 One servant carries the estate owner's carefully wrapped qin, a type of zither.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Wang Hui
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: handscroll, ink on paper
Medium: handscroll, ink, paper
Dimensions: Overall: 40.7 cm (16 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: [題] 松喬堂圖康熙癸未夏六月, 海虞耕煙散人王翬畫。[印]王翬之印; 石谷. [左下] 來青閣; 耕煙野老時年七十有二. Translation: Artist's title, inscription, signature, and 4 seals: [Title, upper right corner] Hall of Lofty Pines. In the sixth month, summer, of the guiwei year [1703] of Kangxi, painted by geng yan san ren, Wang Hui, from Haiyu. [2 seals] Wang Hui zhi yin; Shi gu. [2 seals at end of painting, lower left corner] Lai qing ge; Geng yan lao ye shi nian qi shi you er. Inscription: 松喬堂圖一卷，海虞石谷王君為靜海近公厲少司冦公作也。圖成于癸未之夏。未幾而公遂仙去。公令子今編修君南湖屬余題跋其後。余與公同官侍從，交契最深。側見公之清修純德，蔚為聖天子所眷重。侍直內廷，密勿贊襄，幾二十餘年。蒼生之所以受賜，士林之所以沐德者，天下莫能窺，在廷莫能悉。而公卒不言。以故宸衷日益契，恩禮亦日益渥。雖年逾懸車，時有歸老之念。而上固不聼公之去。其所謂松喬堂者，御書以賜公者也。蓋以松比公之清風勁節，而歲寒不改，經霜彌茂。則又以期公之壽考未有艾焉。公知此身未易乞，而山林槃磵之樂，止可寄諸寤思。此松喬堂圖之所由作也歟。石谷此圖，結構精密，筆墨超邁。其寫樹木之蒼蔚，堂宇之靚幽。恍見摩詰輞川樂天廬山之勝。獨惜公未得一日徜徉故園以償其願。即繪於圖亦未得以永其趣，此編修君之所以眷眷不忘也。雖然千歳之松喬，下蔭百畝，上以修棟梁之需。然則上當日名堂之意，不更望於後之人襲其芘而養其材也哉。吾願編修君之寶斯圖。并望君之塗塈丹雘，大其堂構也已矣。康熈丙戍重陽三日，雲間王鴻緒跋。 Translation: 1 colophon and 3 seals of Wang Hongxu 王鴻緒 (1645-1723): The Hall of Lofty Pines, a handscroll, was painted by Master Wang Shigu of Haiyu [Wang Hui] for the honorable Vice Minister of Justice, Master Li Jinggong of Jinghai. The scroll was completed in the summer of kuiwei [1703], and not long after, he passed away. His son, who is now the Junior Compiler, Li Nanhu [i.e., Li Tingyi] requested that I inscribe it. Master Li and I were both attending [the Emperor], and we developed a close friendship. From my side, I observed that his refined cultivation and unmitigated virtues were very much appreciated and favored by our sagacious Son of Heaven. Thus he was able to attend [the Emperor] in the inner court, and assisted in deciding critical matters for more than two decades. As a consequence, common people were steeped in such bounties and the ranks of the literati were able to immerse themselves in his benevolence. Neither could they fathom from a distance, nor would servitors in the court have had any inkling. Consequently, the Emperor’s favor to him increased daily, and rewards too increased in number. Even though he was getting older and frequently entertained the thought of retirement, His Majesty refused to grant his wish. If or when it were to take place, he would reside in the Hall of Lofty Pines, [the title] of which was being bestowed upon him by His Majesty. The Emperor compared the refined deportment and virtuous strength of the Master to the pines, and in the meantime, also took the resilience of pine, its ability to withstand frosty cold while enjoying splendid growth, as symbolic of his longevity. The Master realized that it was not easy to beg for a free self, so much so that it was but an idle wish on his part to dream of [retiring] and enjoying hills, forests, a hut in mountain torrents. Wasn’t this the reason for the commissioning of the Hall of Lofty Pines? In this painting, Shigu made the pictorial composition quite lean and dense, while his brush and ink are surpassing. In depicting the verdant growth of the trees, and the beauty and seclusion of the halls and buildings, it reminds us of Wang Wei’s Wangchuan Tu, or Bai Juyi’s residence in the scenic Mt. Lu. It is regrettable that [when alive], Master Li was not able to spend even a single day in this old garden. Still, this painting was done to appease his desires, and now it could enshrine his wish and enable it to last forever. This is the reason why the Junior Compiler, [in his affection for his late father], remained ever so mindful. To be sure, a pine tree of thousand years could cast shadows below over hundreds of acres, while its wood up above could indeed be made into pillars and beams as needed. Indeed, was it not His Majesty’s wish when he named the hermitage, with the added hope that the Master’s progeny too could follow suit and nourish their own talents? I wish that our Junior Compiler not only cherish this painting, but also hope that he would expand the Hall by plastering the walls and applying red coating to [wooden structures]. In the bingxu year of Kangxi [1706], the third day after chongyang, I, Wang Hongxu from Yunjian, wrote this. Inscription: 10 additional seals: 1 seal of Li Duna 勵杜納 (1628–1703); 4 seals of Zha Ying 查瑩 (jinshi of 1766); 5 seals of Li Yun (dates unknown).
Departments: Chinese Art
Accession Number: 1997.106
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Exhibitions: 1000 Jahre Chinesische Malerei, Chinese Gallery 240a Rotation – August 2016, Five Centuries of Chinese painting: Ming & Ch'ing dynasties. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, TX (June 27-August 8, 1954)., 1000 Jahre chinesische Malerei. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (October 16-December 13, 1959)., Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 10-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982).
Rights Statement: CC0