A Silent Love Tragedy in Ming Art: Why Did Lü Ji Separate the Ducks?

  • Artwork name
    Mandarin Duck Scroll
  • Author and dynasty
    lvji(吕纪) / Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Dimensions
    Color on silk (97.8 x 47.1 cm)
  • Collection source
    National Palace Museum, Taipei
  • License
    Public Domain Content: Free for Personal & Commercial Use
  • Museum-Quality HD JPG, 3776 × 7406 pixel, size: 8MB
  • Once payment is complete, the download link will be sent to your PayPal email.

Artwork Author

lvji(吕纪)

lvji(吕纪), Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), Zhejiang-born Ming court painter and imperial guard commander. His “Joyful Fisherman” seals on meticulous bird-and-flower works whisper rebellion: even strict court protocols couldn’t tame the fish in his ink pond.

Artwork Story

Mandarin duck scroll

Stone as a Mirror of Souls

The central rock becomes an emotional battleground: the right duck buries its beak in feigned sleep, while the left one’s alert eyes mirror unseen storms. This psychological tension reflects Ming scholars’ marital reality – physical proximity with spiritual alienation.

Floating Weeds: A Philosophy of Falling

Three duckweeds hover at 45-degree angles, eternally suspended by Lü Ji’s brush. This “unfinished falling” echoes the semi-closed eyes of the duck, creating a vacuum for viewers to project their anxieties. As art historian Wu Hung notes: “The blank space here is a reverberation chamber for existential tremors.”

Blossoms as Political Prophecy

The peach petals nestled in stone crevices form a secret I Ching code. The intact bloom symbolizes Yang’s vigor, the fading one clings like Fire, the bare calyx embodies Earth’s acceptance. This cosmological metaphor warns of an empire’s transition from prosperity to decline.

View More Artworks