A Vignette of Life on the Frontier

c. 1717–22

Jiao Bingzhen

Jiao Bingzhen (Chinese, active c. 1670–1726)

Chinese Art

A Vignette of Life on the Frontier, c. 1717–22. Jiao Bingzhen (Chinese, active c. 1670–1726), and Giuseppe Castiglione (Italian, 1688–1766). Folding fan; ink and color on paper; painting: 19 x 55 cm (7 1/2 x 21 5/8 in.); overall with sticks: 33 x 55 cm (13 x 21 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Eleanor and Morris Everett 1979.18 One horseshoe is visible beneath the uplifted hoof.

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Jiao Bingzhen
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: Folding fan; ink and color on paper
Medium: folding, fan, ink, color, paper
Dimensions: Painting: 19 x 55 cm (7 1/2 x 21 5/8 in.); Overall with sticks: 33 x 55 cm (13 x 21 5/8 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: 塞上野趣圖。奉勅寫真。臣焦秉貞郞世寧合筆恭繪。[印]秉貞; 世寧. Translation: Artists' inscription, signatures, and 2 seals (1 of each artist): A vignette of life on the frontier. On Your Majesty’s order, we the servitors Jiao Bingzhen and Lang Shining jointly depicted the scene. [seals] Bingzhen; Shining. Remark: The inscription is informative in at least two respects. First, it identifies the fan painting as a pictorial record of a scene that the Kangxi Emperor had witnessed during a journey to the frontier, and it records that he commanded two of his court painters, a Chinese and a Westerner, to represent the scene accurately. Second, the manner in which the signatures were placed (most likely by Jiao Bingzhen) signals a clear difference in rank between the two artists. Jiao Bingzhen comes first followed by Lang Shining, the Chinese name for the younger artist, Giuseppe Castiglione. Inscription: 2 seals of the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-95). 12 poems by the Qianlong emperor and inscribed in clerical script by Wang Youdun 汪由敦 (1692-1758). Inscription: 1 poem incised on the outer ribs of the fan, front and back by Dong Bangda 董邦達 (1699–1769). Remark: Dong's inscription quotes in part a poem by the Tang poet Li Bai 李白 (701-762). It was done at the imperial command at Taoyuan Shuwo (討原書屋 or Taoyuan Library) at the Changchun Garden 暢春園.
Departments: Chinese Art
Accession Number: 1979.18
Credit Line: Gift of Eleanor and Morris Everett
Exhibitions: Year in Review: 1979, Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting, The Twain Shall Meet, Fans: East and West, <em>Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 122)</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 23-October 27, 2003).
Rights Statement: CC0