id:			174005
accession number:	2015.498
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2015.498
updated:		2022-01-13 10:05:29.519000

Squirrel on a Pine Branch, 1500s. Song Tian (Chinese, active 1300s). Hanging scroll, ink on paper; overall: 119.7 x 66.4 cm (47 1/8 x 26 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from the Collection of George Gund III 2015.498

title:				Squirrel on a Pine Branch
title in original language:	松鼠圖
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1500s
creation date earliest:		1500
creation date latest:		1599
current location:		
creditline:			Gift from the Collection of George Gund III
copyright:			

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culture:	China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
technique:	hanging scroll, ink on paper
department:	Chinese Art
collection:	ASIAN - Hanging scroll
type:		Painting
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* Song Tian (Chinese, active 1300s)  - artist

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measurements: Overall: 119.7 x 66.4 cm (47 1/8 x 26 1/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Greeting the Spring (Chinese art rotation, galleries 240a, 239, 241c)
	opening date:   2017-02-11T05:00:00
	<i>Greeting the Spring (Chinese art rotation, galleries 240a, 239, 241c)</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 11-August 13, 2017).

	title:		Flora and Fauna (Chinese art rotation)
	opening date:   2020-11-06T05:00:00
	<i>Flora and Fauna (Chinese art rotation)</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 2020-June 6, 2021).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	(Heisondo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, sold to George Gund III)
	date: ?-1997
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	George Gund III [1937-2013] bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: 1997-2015
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 2015-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
Although the evergreen pine does not indicate a time of year, the lively activity of the squirrel and the insect suggest a warm season.

digital description: 


wall description: 
This painting captures a squirrel in action, distracted and twisting its head while climbing and looking at a little bug to the right. The painter skillfully employs a combination of ink washes and fine brushstrokes to simulate the animal’s fur. Only three simple curved lines depict the squirrel’s claws. <br><br>The subject of squirrels did not appear in Chinese painting before the late Southern Song (1127–1279) and Yuan periods (1279–1368). The painter Songtian was one of the few Yuan painters who specialized in this theme.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2015.498/2015.498_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2015.498/2015.498_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2015.498/2015.498_full.tif