Pipa (Loquats)
Xugu (Chinese, 1823–1896)
c. 1888–89
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
233 × 70.5 cm · image: 112.5 × 52 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1999.6
Tags
male
About this artwork
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 ...