Two Gibbons in a Tree
15th century
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1911.272
Tags
About this artwork
To 1911
Art Historical Context
Behold *Two Gibbons in a Tree*, a captivating 15th-century painting attributed to Yi Yuanji a master artist active in the mid- to late 11th century during Northern Song dynasty. Though created in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), this work reflects Yi's renowned specialty in depicting gibbons—playful, agile primates that he portrayed with lifelike grace and expressiveness. Gibbons held cultural allure in Chinese art, symbol harmony with nature and poetic freedom, often shown amid lush foliage to evoke the wild beauty of the natural world. As a fine example of Chinese painting traditions, the artw...