The Fox Fairy washing her hair in a stream
Xu Lele is a figure painter who takes her subjects from popular literature. These two paintings depict the fox fairy, subject of a Tang dynasty short story about a beautiful young seductress who is actually a fox fairy in disguise. Having found a faithful lover, the fox fairy is eventually torn apart by hounds. In the Qing period, the fox fairy remained a major subject of love stories, such as those in Strange Tales of a Scholar’s Studio.
This painting and its pair [EA1995.269] are unusual in that they have been framed in pencil, and the calligraphy and seals lie outside the main composition. They are painted on gold-flecked paper, which has been used for many centuries.
Details
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Title
The Fox Fairy washing her hair in a stream
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Artist/maker
Xu Lele (born 1955) -
Associated place
Ningbo (place of creation) -
Date
1991 -
Material and technique
ink, colour, and pencil border on gold-flecked blue paper
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Material index
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Technique index
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Object type
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Dimensions
frame 63.5 x 47 x 2 cm (height x width x depth)
painting 43.5 x 32 cm sight size (height x width) -
No. of items
1
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Credit line
Presented in honour of the forthcoming 70th birthdays of Jose Mauricio and Angelita Trinidad Reyes, 1995.
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Museum location
Museum department
Eastern Art
Accession no.
EA1995.270
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Catalogue text
This painting and its pair [EA1995.269, EA1995.270] are unusual in that they have been framed in pencil, and the calligraphy and seals lie outside the composition. Plain or coloured gold-flecked papers have been used for many centuries.
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