Immortals Playing Weiqi on Penglai
second half of the 16th century -17th century
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1911.188
Tags
About this artwork
According to its title, this short scroll depicts an idyllic scene on the island of Penglai, the mythological home of Daoist divinities and immortals located in the ocean east of China. However, there is little in the painting itself that suggests the grandeur of such an otherworldly paradise. Instead, the elegant but comparatively modest pavilion epitomizes a wealthy scholar's private retreat in the mundane world. In the window of a room overlooking the water, two men in scholar's robes play th...
About the Artist
Formerly attributed to Leng Qian (14th century) (Bohemian) · 1300 –1399