Minneapolis Institute of Art

Fragrance of the Orchids

Empress Dowager Cixi

Date

1902

Medium

Ink and color on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This scroll depicts several clumps of orchids and lingzhi fungi against a plain background, without a defined context. The leaf blades are rendered in green and the blossoms in light pink. The lingzhi fungus has long been a symbol of longevity, and the orchid has stood for moral fortitude. The title of the painting comes from a Chinese poem Lisao (“The Sorrow of Parting”), written by Qu Yuan (329–299 BCE). In the poem Qu Yuan recounts that he planted nine wan (around 23 square miles) of orchids. The poem is generally taken to be the poet’s self-depiction of a loyal minister estranged from his lord; the flower imagery is meant to suggest his purity of spirit and the beauty of his talents and merits. Ever since this poem became popular, the orchid has been associated with the virtues of highly principled men. China, Asia

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