Wang Guxiang Flower Axis

[Wang Guxiang’s flower map axis]

The flower map axis, Ming Dynasty, Wang Guxiang’s painting, paper book, ink pen, 107. cm vertically and 31.5 cm horizontally
This painting is inscribed with a poem, which reads: “Jiajing’s Youqiu, Gu Xiang’s freehand brushwork and inscription are presented to Mr. Zhishi Jieyuan as a Zuo voucher cloud.” The seal of “Youshi” Zhu Wen and “Gu” and “Xiang” Zhu Wen is combined with the bead seal. There is another poem written by Wen Zhengming. There are two seals in the collection: Zhu Wen of “Zhe’an” and Bai Wen of “faithful heirs”. “Youyou” is the 28th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1549). The author was 49 years old
This picture shows several ganoderma lucidum plants, the lake rocks stand upright, and the osmanthus flowers are in full bloom. Thick ink points moss, osmanthus trees and ganoderma lucidum are delicately portrayed, and the ink rendering is thick and light, rich in changes, showing the hierarchical sense of osmanthus blooming. This painting is exquisite and neat, which is obviously influenced by Wen Zhengming’s painting
From the inscription of the author and Wen Zhengming, we can see that this picture is made to celebrate the happiness of Mr. “Zhishi” Qiu Wei (Yin Wei, referring to the imperial examination). At that time, it was very popular for literati to draw osmanthus flowers to congratulate the “laurels”. The ingenuity of this painting lies in the fact that the ganoderma lucidum and the mountain stone painted by the author are exactly in harmony with the subject’s font name “Zhishi”, and the deliberate description of the unbridled flowering osmanthus fragrans, which makes the whole painting vividly convey the meaning of “Zhishi Ruigui” and the congratulation of “Zhishi is the first to be taken”.