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The God of Longevity with attendantfront, painting only

© Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

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The God of Longevity with attendant

  • Description

    Ren Yi is a Shanghai School master, known for his figure and bird-and-flower painting, which combines the imagery of decorative art with the bold brushwork of literati painting.

    The God of Longevity is known as an old man with an extraordinarily big forehead, carrying a walking stick made of peach wood. Respect for him is probably linked to the worship of ancestors and elders, one of the most important Confucian principles. Wu Changshuo, a 20th century master and student of Ren, added the calligraphic title ‘happiness prolongs life’ quoted from the Confucian philosopher Xunzi (c. 312-230 BC).

    In this painting, the God of Longevity and his attendant seem to be full of joy on their way back from the peach garden. Particular consideration has been given to the choice of imagery used here. Peach blossoms, for example, are the symbol of prosperity, and their bright pink colour is also a popular metaphor for feminine beauty. Peach branches are believed to ward off demons, and the peach itself is considered a fruit for immortality.

  • Details

    show all
    Associated place
    Asia › China (place of creation)
    Date
    painted 1891
    calligraphy 1919
    Artist/maker
    Ren Yi (1840 - 1895) (artist)
    Wu Changshuo (1844 - 1927) (scribe)
    after Xunzi (c. 312 - 230 BC) (author)
    Material and technique
    ink and colour on paper
    Dimensions
    mount 325 x 113.5 cm (height x width)
    painting 198.3 x 93 cm (height x width)
    rolled 8 cm (diameter)
    Material index
    processed material › paper
    Technique index
    covered › coated › painted,
    marked › painted,
    decorated › painted,
    painted,
    drawn (image) › line drawing › brush drawing
    Object type index
    communications equipment › art/writing equipment › scroll › hanging scroll,
    visual representation › painting,
    visual representation › scroll › hanging scroll
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Purchased with the assistance of the Friends of the Ashmolean Museum, 1987.
    Accession no.
    EA1987.31

  • Further reading

    Vainker, Shelagh, Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2000), no. 117 on p. 134, illus. p. 135 fig. 117

Past Exhibitions

see all (2)

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Publications online

  • Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford by Shelagh Vainker

    Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

    Ren Yi was from Shanyin, present-day Shaoxing in Zhejiang province, the son of a portraitist. In the winter of 1868 he moved to Shanghai, where he lived for the rest of his life. Shanghai was a rapidly growing commercial centre at that time, and artists from all over China went there to sell their paintings. There emerged a 'Shanghai School' of painting, associated with a synthesis of popular and traditional style, in which Ren Yi is regarded as the leading figure. He is known for his bold brushwork and use of colour, particularly in figure and bird-and-flower paintings. The latter were mostly in Song style until he came across an album by the early Qing individualist painter Zhu Da (Ba da shan ren), by whose looser style he was influenced. He was more closely a successor to the Shanghai based painters Ren Xiong (1823-57) and Ren Xun (1834-93). Wu Changshuo was a pupil of Ren Yi.

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