Overview

Yun Ge (1633-90; alias, Shouping, pseudonym, Nantian; from Jiangsu, Wujin) was a literati painter who rejuvenated the genre of flowering plants in the early Qing. Borrowing the supple, delicate style of the Song, blossoming flowers with fava beans are subtly depicted. To the lower left of the painting are two authenticating seals, Shouping and Zhengshu. A painting of fava beans in an album of flowering plants, dated 1686, bearing the artist's signature (Shanghai Museum Collection), looks like it was given a trim.

Many of Yun Ge's paintings utilize the light colored, blurred mogu technique (in which color is directly applied to the ground), although, here, the flower petals are outlined, employing both the mogu and goule (outline) techniques. This is an invaluable work, which is thought to be one of few examples of a trial-and-error piece by Yun Ge, who made his start by copying Song paintings of flowering plants.