Fish
Unknown Artist
c. 1400
Medium
hanging scroll, ink and slight color on silk
Dimensions
124.8 × 67.4 cm · painting: 35.1 × 53.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Herbert F. Leisy in memory of his wife, Helen Stamp Leisy
Accession Number
1977.201
About this artwork
Four fish of various sizes are swimming among aquatic plants. Like in other paintings, the existence of water is suggested in the harmonious movement of the fish and plants. In Chinese, the word for fish (yu) is a homophone for “abundance” and thus the motif has an auspicious connotation. The painter uses the so-called boneless technique without outlines to shade and texture the bodies of the fish. The smooth transition from dark shades on their backs to their white bellies and the thin transpar...