Children Playing (detail)
Anonymous, Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279)

The Knick-knack Peddler
Li Sung (fl. 1190 - 1264), Sung Dynasty

Paintings of Children at Play Through the Ages
Galleries 204, 206
2000/4/1 - 2000/7/10

In traditional China, children were admired for their natural purity, lively bearing, and joyful naivete.  Early Chinese painters were enamored by the carefree life of the child, and frequently chose playful children as the subject for their work.  Indeed, the image of "Children at Play" eventually emerged as an important theme in Chinese painting.  According to historical records, paintings of children at play date back to the T'ang dynasty (618 - 906).  Unfortunately, none of these works are still extant.  The earliest surviving paintings date to the early Southern Sung (1127 -1279).  The best known painters of children from the period are Su Han-ch'en (active early 12th century) and Li Sung (fl. 1190 - 1264) whose works are noteworthy for their expressiveness and attention to realistic detail.  With the rise of literati painting in the Yuan, the emphasis in painting shifted away from such naturalistic representations.  Accordingly, the popularity of "Children at Play, " a theme closely associated with realistic naturalism, declined sharply.  Nevertheless, the motif remained important, and came to be regarded, by the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, as an auspicious symbol for good fortune and the birth of many sons.  The playful child thus became an important motif in both popular and decorative arts.

The Museum hopes that visitors to this special exposition will not only garner a deeper understanding for the place of children in the development of Chinese art, but will also share in the good forturne afforded by such a gathering of auspicious images.