Shooting the Tide, from the album Figures in Settings
Artist/Maker
Zhāng Hóng 张宏 / 張宏
(Chinese, 1577–1668)
Date1649
MediumAlbum leaf, ink and color on silk
DimensionsImage: 11 1/4 × 8 in. (28.6 × 20.3 cm)
Mount: 14 5/8 × 9 9/16 in. (37.1 × 24.3 cm)
Mount: 14 5/8 × 9 9/16 in. (37.1 × 24.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Carol S. Brooks in honor of her father, George J. Schlenker, and R. T. Miller Jr. Fund
PortfolioFigures in Settings
Object number1997.29.14N
Status
Not on viewTitle inscription: 射潮
North of the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang浙江 (lit. bent river) province, the Qiantang River 錢塘江 has a famous bend that gives the province its name. In spring and fall, returning tides meet the outflowing water at the river’s curve, causing massive waves known as tidal bores. Once a flood hazard, today the phenomenon attracts groups of seasonal tourists.
Zhāng Hóng’s painting illustrates a legend about King Qián Liú 錢鏐 (852–932), who once ordered 500 of his strongest archers to shoot into the bores, stopping the waves so that dike construction could be completed. Later, the river came to be known as the Qiantang, or “Qian’s dike.”
Exhibition History
North of the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang浙江 (lit. bent river) province, the Qiantang River 錢塘江 has a famous bend that gives the province its name. In spring and fall, returning tides meet the outflowing water at the river’s curve, causing massive waves known as tidal bores. Once a flood hazard, today the phenomenon attracts groups of seasonal tourists.
Zhāng Hóng’s painting illustrates a legend about King Qián Liú 錢鏐 (852–932), who once ordered 500 of his strongest archers to shoot into the bores, stopping the waves so that dike construction could be completed. Later, the river came to be known as the Qiantang, or “Qian’s dike.”
A Century of Asian Art at Oberlin: Chinese Paintings
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (June 6, 2017 - December 10, 2017 )
Collections
- Asian
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