A Chinese Ming Dynasty Painting of Five Phoenix Greeting the Morning Sun

Ming dynasty (1368-1644), 16th century, ink and mineral pigments on silk, mounted as a monumental hanging scroll, a very large format painting featuring five finely painted phoenix birds gathered in a lush garden filled with auspicious peonies, plum blossoms, and bamboo, the individualized regal birds look upwards at the red morning sun, bearing signature 李一和 (Li Yihe ) to lower right corner together with three red seals, the painting presented in a Japanese style brocade mount.

Rolled 8 ft, 8 in. diameter; Hanging 9 ft 5 in. x 8 ft.; Image size 6 ft. 8 in. x 5 ft 8 in.

The phoenix carries symbolic meaning in Chinese culture, traditionally associated with virtue, harmony, and imperial authority. Often paired with peonies, this imagery conveys auspicious wishes of prosperity, rank, and moral refinement.

The signature on this painting is 李一和 (Li Yihe ), is a lesser known Ming dynasty painter. There is a drawing in the Tokyo National Museum cataloged as a copy by 李一和／鳳凰図 (Li Yihe / Phoenix), by the artist 文蔵敏矩 (Fumikura Toshinori), dated Tenpo 2 (1831). This drawing mirrors elements of the painting on offer here, and is likely the painting the artist was copying. This painting has a Japanese mounting, so it did reside at some point in Japan and was valued enough to be properly mounted and preserved. Works by Li Yihe were known in Edo period Japan, Kano Tan’yu is said to have studied paintings by him.

A similar painting in size and subject to this one can be found at The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan in Tokyo. Another similar painting was publicly displayed at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach in the 2021 exhibition "Kings of Birds: Chinese Paintings Evoking Imperial Court Traditions," on loan as a promised gift to the museum.

From an old family collection in St. Matthews, South Carolina, then purchased in 1989 at Andres Van Dam Gallery, Columbia, South Carolina

Overall good condition; with expected wear and loss from age; a vertical fold crease down the center; some light horizontal creases; toning to silk; some scattered areas of loss to pigment; some separation at lower right brocade mount where it meets the roller; a repair to reverse side of the mount.