Three Purities (1878): Art, History and Details

Three Purities (1878) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Zhang Xiong (Chinese, 1803–1886).

The work and its context

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

As an artist, Zhang Xiong first attained fame in his native city Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. When the turmoil of the Taiping rebellion spread to his area, he decided to move to Shanghai where he became the elderly spokesman for the art scene in this newly rising metropolis. He is best remembered for his bird-and-flower paintings, of which this painting certainly is a fine example. "The Three Purities" refer to pine (symbol of longevity), plum blossoms (continual renewal of life), and bamboo (inner strength), plants that can endure and thrive during the winter season. A cluster of narcissus is a fitting complement as it is emblematic for immortality.

Object facts

• Title: Three Purities
• Date: 1878
• Creator attribution: Zhang Xiong (Chinese, 1803–1886)
• Culture: China, Xiaxing, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
• Dimensions: Overall: 168 x 44 cm (66 1/8 x 17 5/16 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1999.193

A detail from the museum

This painting was dedicated to an older individual on one of his birthdays.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James S. Reid

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.