# Two magpies under an orchid cliff

**Lü Ji** (ca. 1420-ca. 1505)  
15th century  
Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink and color on silk  
H x W (image): 133.2 x 52.2 cm (52 7/16 x 20 9/16 in)

Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, F1911.309. [The museum's record](https://asia.si.edu/object/F1911.309/).

## About this work

Lü Ji painted this in 15th century. It is now at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **Hanging scroll.** A painting mounted on silk with a wooden roller at the foot. It was rolled up for storage and brought out to hang for a season, a guest or an occasion.
- **Ink and colour on silk.** Silk was sized with glue and alum so it would hold a crisp brushline, and mineral colours were built up in thin layers. The sheen of the weave still shows through.

### [Lü Ji](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/lu-ji)

ca. 1420-ca. 1505

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: Chinese
- Real size: about 52 × 21 in (133 × 52 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 12 × 16 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Movement: [Chinese painting](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/chinese-painting)
- Subjects: Animals, Magpie, Orchids, Birds, Flowers, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1803.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1803/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/two-magpies-under-an-orchid-cliff-si-fsg-f1911-309).