Orchids and Rock

Artists

Description

Painted in ink on satin silk, this hanging scroll represents two clumps of orchids, likely cymbidiums, growing on either side of a garden rock. Entering in the lower left corner, the rock rises diagonally through the composition, reaching almost two-thirds the full height of the painting. The orchids grow on either side of the rock. The artist's inscription and signature comprise three columns of calligraphy in the painting's upper right quadrant. The very cursive script and the characters' extended final, vertical brushstrokes harmonize perfectly with the brushwork of the orchids' leaves and flowers. A seal of the artist reading Chŏng Hak-kyo appears immediately after the artist's signature (i.e., at the bottom of the third column of calligraphy, reading from right to left). The artist's second seal appears in the lower left corner of the painting, impressed on the lowest part of the rock.

Dimensions

painting proper: 115.8 x 39.4 cm (45 9/16 x 15 1/2 in.) mounting, including cord and roller ends: 191.8 x 61.8 cm (75 1/2 x 24 5/16 in.)

Provenance

Purchased in Korea and brought to the U.S. in the 1960s; through auction in the early 2000s; through Kang Collection; to Harvard Art Museum.