{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O16106"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16106/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014GX1503/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2014GX1503/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2014GX1503","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AF4334","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014GX1504","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014GX1516","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O16106/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O16106","accessionNumber":"FE.5-1974","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"Bunch of Flowers With Calamus","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This hanging scroll, showing a bunch of flowers bound together with calamus, was painted by Xiang Shenmo 項聖謨 (1597-1658). Xiang was born into a distinguished scholar-official family in Jiaxing 嘉興, Zhejiang province 浙江, and his grandfather was the great art collector Xiang Yuanbian 項元汴 (1525-1590). He specialised in landscape and flowers, and over the years he developed a highly distinctive style. Typically he used 'boneless' ink washes to portrait flowers and plants in a descriptive manner, as demonstrated in this work. The painting is signed on the right, above one of the many seals Xiang used in his works. The same seal also appears in an album of flower paintings dated 1643, which might suggest that this scroll was produced around the same time, the year before the fall of the Ming dynasty. At the bottom left of the painting is the seal of an unidentified collector, reading: 'Calligraphy and Painting treasured in the collection of Mr Gao.'","physicalDescription":"The scroll shows a bunch of flowers bound together with calamus. The artists signature is above his seal.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Xiang Shengmo","id":"A2457"},"association":{"text":"painter (artist)","id":"AAT25136"},"note":"A grandson of Xiang Yuanbian (1525-1590)."}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Painted in ink on paper","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"}],"styles":[{"text":"Ming","id":"AAT18438"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"EAS","id":"THES48596"},"images":["2014GX1503","2006AF4334","2014GX1504","2014GX1516"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"008","id":"THES396498"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Painting","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"No","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"China","id":"x29398"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Jiaxing, Zhejiang province"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1597-1658","earliest":"1597-01-01","latest":"1658-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"n/a"}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Sir Harry and Lady Garner","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"62.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"painted paper surface (huaxin 畫心)","note":"n/a"},{"dimension":"Width","value":"33.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"painted paper surface (huaxin 畫心)","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"222.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"including the mount","date":{"text":"11/06/2014","earliest":"2014-06-11","latest":"2014-06-11"},"part":"overall","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"47.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"including the mount","date":{"text":"11/06/2014","earliest":"2014-06-11","latest":"2014-06-11"},"part":"overall","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"each","date":{"text":"11/06/2014","earliest":"2014-06-11","latest":"2014-06-11"},"part":"roller end","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"3.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"each","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"roller end","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"103.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"including stave","date":{"text":"16.6.16","earliest":"2016-06-16","latest":"2016-06-16"},"part":"upper register of silk mounting (tian 天)","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"55.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"including roller","date":{"text":"16.6.16","earliest":"2016-06-16","latest":"2016-06-16"},"part":"lower register of silk mounting (di 地)","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"55.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"including roller ends","date":{"text":"16.6.16","earliest":"2016-06-16","latest":"2016-06-16"},"part":"roller","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"n/a","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Xiang Shengmo bi","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"From the brush of Xiang Shengmo","transliteration":"項聖謨筆","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"At the bottom left of the painting is the seal of an unidentified collector Mr. Gao. It was given by Sir Harry and Lady Garner to the Museum.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"<i>Bunch of Flowers with Calamus</i>, Xiang Shengmo (1597-1658), hanging scroll, ink on paper, China","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"a bunch of flowers bound together with calamus","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"菖蒲","id":"CIT280697"},{"text":"梔子","id":"CIT279276"},{"text":"蜀葵","id":"CIT283638"},{"text":"石榴","id":"CIT280053"},{"text":"開花","id":"CIT277106"},{"text":"端午節 (農曆五月五日)","id":"CIT282850"},{"text":"折枝","id":"CIT278682"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Xiang was born into a distinguished scholar-official family in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. His grandfather was the art collector Xiang Yuanbian (1525–90). Xiang signed this painting on the lower right-hand side, above one of his seals. A later collector’s seal is impressed in the bottom left corner.","date":{"text":"17/01/2017","earliest":"2017-01-17","latest":"2017-01-17"}}],"partNumbers":["FE.5-1974"],"accessionNumberNum":"5","accessionNumberPrefix":"FE","accessionYear":1974,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-21","recordCreationDate":"1999-12-15","availableToBook":false}}