First Installation Explores Theme of Family and Friends,
Featuring Greatest Masters of Ming and Qing Dynasties
 |
| Li Bai's Night Revel in Peach and Plum Garden (detail), 1650, Chen Hongshou |
BOSTON
(October 12, 2019)—This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), opens the
first in a series of three exhibitions celebrating the largest and most
significant gift of Chinese paintings and calligraphy in its history: the Weng
Family Collection, comprising 183 objects that were acquired by and passed down
through six generations of a single family. Featuring 19 works from the gift
and a selection of decorative objects, Weng Family
Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends explores the
themes of family and friends, demonstrating the intimate association in Chinese
art between works of art and human relations. The exhibition assembles works by
some of the greatest masters from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911)
dynasties, such as Wang Hui and Chen Hongshou. Curated by Nancy Berliner, Wu
Tung Senior Curator of Chinese Art, Weng Family
Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends is on view in
the Asian Paintings Gallery from October 12, 2019 through August 9, 2020. Generously
supported by the Tan Family Education Foundation. Additional support from the
Rodger and Dawn Nordblom Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor of Marjorie C.
Nordblom, The June N. and John C. Robinson Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor
of Marjorie C. Nordblom, and the Joel Alvord and Lisa Schmid Alvord Fund.
The
passion for art in the Weng family resulted not only in a superb collection of
objects, but a reverence for art and scholarship that was passed down through
generations. A member of the 19th generation of the family, Wan-go Weng recalls
watching and listening as a young boy while his family admired and discussed
works of art in their home—the same objects that he would inherit in 1948 and
bring to the U.S. Throughout the gallery are works that carry the personal
touches of the Weng family, including a large one-character auspicious
calligraphy made for his son by Weng Tonghe (1830–1904), who built the greater
part of the collection. Many of the works also feature colophons, or personal
inscriptions, written by family members, revealing deep personal connections
with individual pieces and the memories they evoked. For example, Weng Tonghe
wrote on Chen Hongshou’s The three
hermits: plum, chrysanthemum, and narcissus (1651): “My father
liked to recite the poem [on the painting] and always kept the scroll with him.
Every time I unroll the scroll, tears flow uncontrollably.”
The
role and deep significance of friendship also manifests throughout the gallery.
The interaction among friends when discoursing artworks was often recorded
through colophons, recalling such gatherings or noting that a painting was
given as a gift to a friend. The exhibition space is designed to evoke the
atmosphere of a Chinese garden, a place where friends would often come together
to view paintings in natural light. In addition to 19 works from the gift, the
gallery includes a large decorative rock, as would be seen in most gardens as a
reminder of the larger natural environment, and examples of fine 17th-century
huanghuali furniture. A contemporary handscroll by Wan-go Weng, Elegant Gathering at the Laixiju Residence (1985)
(1986), commemorates a momentous gathering held at his New England home,
attended by six of the world’s most respected authorities on Chinese painting.
In May 1985, these scholars and friends made the journey to Wan-go Weng’s
retreat in the mountains to examine the family’s famed painting collection.
Other paintings illustrate friends gathered to write poems together, as is
depicted throughout the Suzhou Series
album (about 1490) by Shen Zhou (1427–1509).
Exhibition
Highlights
·
The handscroll Nine Letters to Home (after 1523)
by Wen Zhengming (1470–1559), one of the greatest Ming-dynasty artists and
calligraphers, demonstrates the elegance of the artist’s well-trained brush as
well as moving spontaneity. The nine letters, written by Wen Zhengming to his
wife and sons while he was residing in Beijing for an official posting, also
portray an emotionality not usually seen in his more formal works.
·
A collaboration between Wang Hui (1632–1717) and Jiao Bingzhen
(active late 17th to early 18th centuries), Portrait of An Qi in His Garden
(1698) depicts a powerful salt merchant and art collector in his garden estate,
a symbol of his refined status and cultural sophistication. This painting was
gifted to Weng Tonghe in 1897 by Aixinjueluo Tingyong, a young scholar whom
Weng took under his wing. After the tragic execution of Tingyong during the
Boxer Rebellion of 1900, Weng wrote a poignant inscription on the painting
praising his friend and his accomplishments.
·
In Li Bai’s night revel in peach and plum garden (1650),
Chen Hongshou (1598–1652) references a poem by China’s most celebrated poet, Li
Bai (701–762), who describes the lavish drinking parties held in the Golden
Valley garden. Appealing to the taste and connoisseurship of antique collectors
of his time, Chen creates an evocative setting for such a gathering by
displaying on the stone table an 11th century B.C.E. bronze vessel and a
ceramic cup with crackled glaze typical of the 13th century C.E.
·
Popular in China since the Song dynasty, the theme of children
playing is often considered to symbolize the aspiration for many descendants,
appearing frequently in decorations on ceramics, metalwork and textiles. In Children
Playing with Crickets (late 16th century), Hou Genyang (active
1575–1600) succeeds in presenting the auspicious theme while also communicating
the joy inherent in the absorbing play of children.
·
The character for tiger, hu, can act as a talisman to ward
off evil spirits. Weng Tonghe’s hu calligraphies were particularly
sought after, as the character was believed to gain potency when written by a
prominent person, like him, who was born in the year of the tiger. Included in
the show is a highly auspicious hu written in 1890 or 1902 for his
greatgrandson, Weng Zhilian, the adoptive father of Wan-go Weng.
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