Mandarin ducks and cotton rose hibiscus

Created in the late 15th century form (1467 -1499) during the Ming dynasty, the Mandarin Ducks and Cotton Rose Hibiscus is a hanging scroll painted on silk with ink and colors. The painting is an excellent example of the “bird-and-flower” genre (huniao hua), popular in the courts of the Ming dynasty. It was created by the artist Lu Ji, who worked in the Hongzhi era (1488-1505) and combined the fine-line drawing technique (gongbi) and naturalistic rendering of texture for the composition’s amazing precision and liveliness of detail. The work had been painted after the specific request of the Ming dynasty’s Emperor, giving the picture a standard for the period symbolic meaning. The lower part of the scroll is dominated by two mandarin ducks on the rocky bank beside the stream. The male duck is colorful and detailed, while the female duck is depicted in a calmer manner, being next to her partner. Above the couple, large cotton rose hibiscus’ branches loom over the stream, creating shade with their thick pink and white petals, contrasting with dark green leaves and coarse bark of the trees behind them. However, besides the exquisite techniques and beautiful scenery, the painting has a deep symbolic meaning. Following the symbolic tradition of the Chinese art, ducks symbolize love and marital affection, being one of the most common animals in the Chinese poetry and art. Thus, the picture was meant to bring longevity, happiness, and harmony to the Emperor’s marriage. Mandarin ducks symbolize the lasting love between a married couple, while mufurong (cotton rose hibiscus) means wealth and prosperity. Stream and rocks at the bottom of the painting have the same meaning, symbolizing the solidity of the couple’s union. Nowadays, the painting is stored at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a reminder of the high artistic standards of the Ming dynasty court artists.