Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

Unknown
'Bird on Rock with Blue Flowers', By Unknown, Chinese Antique Scroll

About the Item

This 59" x 20" Chinese Antique Scroll depicts a simple yet serene scene of a bird on a rock. The bird stands on the rock, which is much larger in size in comparison to the bird. The bird' s body is facing the viewer but is slightly turned towards the left, while it's head is turned towards the right side of the composition and is looking down at the water just below the rock. The water appears to be a rushing stream, running towards the right and disappearing into the bottom right corner, with a small portion of another rock peeking out from the stream of water. Behind the rock and the bird, emerging from the left edge of the work, is a small plant with vivid blue flowers. The plant has about three stems with very lightly painted leaves with not much pigment, and three fully bloomed flowers in which one sees each blue petal and the yellow center of the flowers, and there are six other smaller blooms that are not fully blossomed surrounding the larger flowers. Among the plant with the flowers, there are also long brush strokes that perhaps represent wheat or a large grass plant. Branching off of these long, pointed blades of grass are two long but slim stems with many more fanned out strokes at the end of the stem, perhaps portraying the spikes of wheat plants or something similar. There is a signature found within the composition positioned in the lower right hand corner and consists of three vertically listed Chinese characters and a red ink seal placed just below the list of characters. Red ink seals are distinct for Chinese scrolls, and can often be the name of the artist or the owner, and see as though there are already black characters above it, the red seal could very well be the signature of who owned the scroll. Bordering this scene is an ornate, yellow silk fabric. The design on the silk consists of flowers, seemingly roses or carnations, as they are more round, with curved vines and leaves connecting the buds and filling the negative space between the flowers. This hanging scroll's mounting style is specifically known as the "Sansebiao" style. The painting made on paper, is known as "huaxin" (畫心; "painted heart"), and within the silk border of the work, the upper part is called tiantou (天頭; "Heaven") while the lower part is called ditou (地頭; "Earth"). Above the tiantou, at the very top of the scroll is a thin wooden bar, called tiangan (天杆) and there is a plastic ivory cylindrical bar at the bottom of this scroll, called a digan (地杆), which is attached to give the scroll weight at the bottom as that it hangs properly onto a wall, but it also acts as a base to roll up a scroll for storage when the artwork is not on display. According to Anna Willmann, from the Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "It is believed that the handscroll was invented in India sometime before the fourth century B.C., where it was primarily used for religious texts, and came to China by the first century A.D.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 59 in (149.86 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Oklahoma City, OK
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: F2D00351stDibs: LU1441213329042

More From This Seller

View All
'Dogwood Tree', By Unknown, Japanese Antique Scroll
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This Antique Japanese Scroll is a depiction of a dogwood tree. Painted in a traditional Japanese style with watercolor, the brush strokes are ...
Category

20th Century Edo More Art

Materials

Silk, Paper, Watercolor

'Foggy Mountain', by Unknown, Japanese Antique Scroll
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 77" x 22" Japanese Antique Scroll depicts a serene and foggy landscape painting on silk with a figure positioned in the lower half of the...
Category

Late 19th Century Edo More Art

Materials

Silk, Paper, Watercolor

'Chinese Mountain Scene, ' by Unknown, Watercolor on Silk Painting
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 24" x 23" watercolor on silk by an Unknown Chinese artist depicts a coastal mountain landscape. This work features several mountain clus...
Category

Late 19th Century Other Art Style Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Silk, Watercolor

'Scottish Landscape Scene, ' by E.J., Watercolor Painting
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This one-of-a-kind watercolor landscape painting was created in 1910 by artist E.J. The artist perfectly captures the tranquility of the scene, featuring a palette of pastel colors, ...
Category

2010s Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

'Where Hummingbirds Swim, ' by Lisa Miceli, Watercolor on Paper Painting
By Lisa Miceli
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 27" x 14" watercolor on paper by artist Lisa Miceli depicts the abstracted movement of birds, figures, and aquatic imagery that the artist uses...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

'Outdoor Street Scene', by Sonya Terpening, Watercolor on Paper
By Sonya Terpening
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Sonya Terpening's framed watercolor on paper painting titled 'Outdoor Street Scene' captures a calm scene outside of a cafe. The dining table depicted in the work becomes the focal point when observing this piece, as it is placed in the foreground and captures the eye with a vivid blue table cloth; on the table are four glasses placed upside-down and what appears to be a sugar and salt shaker. Terpening's realistic style is exemplified in her depiction of the table; the blue cloth's folds and wrinkles, and the heavy use of shadows and lighting on the table cloth, chairs, and glasses all contribute to the realistic qualities of the piece. The table is positioned on a red brick sidewalk/street directly outside of the cafe, which is also brick but painted white. The cafe door...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

You May Also Like

Qing-Dynasty Silk Brocade Chair Panel with Pagoda & Crane
Located in Chicago, IL
This framed silk brocade tapestry is one half of a magnificent Qing-dynasty chair panel, or chair strip. Because traditional Chinese seating was not upho...
Category

Mid-19th Century Qing Mixed Media

Materials

Silk

Qing-Dynasty Silk Brocade Chair Panel with Fu Lion
Located in Chicago, IL
This framed silk brocade tapestry is one half of a magnificent Qing-dynasty chair panel, or chair strip. Because traditional Chinese seating was not upho...
Category

Mid-19th Century Qing Mixed Media

Materials

Silk

19th c. Chinese silk dragon embroidery with gold and coloured metal threads
Located in West Sussex, GB
Late 19th century Chinese silk embroidery with gold, silver and coloured threads, depicting two finely detailed dragons and other various symbols. The dragon's claws are each five fi...
Category

1880s Qing Mixed Media

Materials

Silk, Thread

Chinese Eternal Youth Sign of Honor, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This monumental lacquered elmwood sign of honor was carved in northern China during the mid-19th century. The large central characters read as "Wu Zheng Ever Green", and - loosely tr...
Category

Mid-19th Century Qing More Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Pair of Antique Hand Painted Chinese Jars With Foo Dogs and Inscriptions
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Pair of Antique Hand Painted Chinese Vases with Foo Dogs and Inscriptions China, early 20th century Porcelain 17 x 8 x 8 inches Painted in iron red, these Foo Dogs or Imperial Guardian Lions are strong Feng Shui protection symbols which were traditionally placed in front of Imperial palaces, temples, and government offices. They were also a traditional symbol of family wealth and social status and were placed in front of wealthy homes. It is widely accepted that foo dogs were created sometime after real lions...
Category

Early 20th Century Qing More Art

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

"Study in Red, " Mixed Media on Canvas
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique compositions of abstract painted elements and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In a departure from his split bamboo kite series, this work on stretched canvas entitled "Study in Red" layers textured paper and silken fragments within a rosy...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media

Materials

Wood, Rice Paper, Canvas, Silk, Acrylic

Recently Viewed

View All