Pipa (Loquats) (c. 1888–89): Art, History and Details

Pipa (Loquats) (c. 1888–89) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Xugu (Chinese, 1823–1896).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The loquat is a plant native to China that produces a juicy, yellow fruit in early summer. The artist may have intentionally extended the branches beyond the paper to emphasize the abundance of fruit. Xugu’s subjects of flowers, goldfish, and loquats express wishes for abundance and wealth, and must have appealed to his patrons. Xugu gave up his career as a military official during the Taiping rebellion (1850–64) and became an itinerant monk who painted for a living. He spent the later years of his life in Shanghai and his fame as an artist is associated with that city.

Object facts

• Title: Pipa (Loquats)
• Date: c. 1888–89
• Creator attribution: Xugu (Chinese, 1823–1896)
• Culture: China, Yangzhou, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
• Dimensions: Painting: 112.6 x 52.2 cm (44 5/16 x 20 9/16 in.); Overall (no knobs): 231 x 70.5 cm (90 15/16 x 27 3/4 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1999.6

A detail from the museum

Xugu inscribed his painting on the right, dedicating it to a Mr. Youshan. Two additional inscriptions by other writers were added later, each time the painting changed owners.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• "In the Company of Spirits." Kaikodo Journal, XI (Spring 1999): pp. 128-29, 272-273.
• Chung, Anita. "The Life, Art, and Travels of Xugu (1823-1896)." Kaikodo Journal, XI (Spring 1999): pp. 44-51.
• Cleveland Museum of Art, “Major Benin Bronze Plaque, Rembrandt Print, Other Works of Art Enter CMA Collection,” March 12, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.