The Knickknack Peddler
货郎图
A tiny silk album leaf packed with detail: a peddler's two enormous baskets bristling with hundreds of toys, fans, brushes, and skull-shaped trinkets, while children attack a snake nearby. Painted in 1212 for the Southern Song court of Emperor Ningzong.
Object Facts
- Period
- Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
- Date
- 1212
- Artist
- Li Song (李嵩)
- Medium
- Album leaf; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions
- 24.1 × 26 cm
- Held by
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, USA - Accession
- 1963.582
Cleveland Museum of Art — Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Why it matters
Li Song's peddler scenes are the earliest surviving Chinese paintings to inventory the material culture of ordinary urban life. Look at the upper-left basket and you can find an upside-down skull — a memento mori hidden in a children's painting.
How it travelled
Passed through Ming and Qing literati collections (with their characteristic seals) before entering the Tokyo dealer market in the early 20th century. Cleveland acquired it in 1963 with the Severance Millikin fund, established expressly for masterpiece-level Asian acquisitions.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see The Knickknack Peddler?+
The Knickknack Peddler is held by the The Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, USA. Accession number 1963.582. Online catalogue record: https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.582.
When was The Knickknack Peddler created?+
The Knickknack Peddler dates to 1212, during the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279).
Who made The Knickknack Peddler?+
The Knickknack Peddler is attributed to Li Song (李嵩). The work is a album leaf executed in album leaf; ink and color on silk.
How did The Knickknack Peddler end up at the Cleveland Museum?+
Passed through Ming and Qing literati collections (with their characteristic seals) before entering the Tokyo dealer market in the early 20th century. Cleveland acquired it in 1963 with the Severance Millikin fund, established expressly for masterpiece-level Asian acquisitions.
Can I reuse the photograph of The Knickknack Peddler?+
Yes. The Cleveland Museum has released the image under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so it is free for any use, commercial or non-commercial, with no attribution required (though attribution is appreciated).
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