One Hundred Flowers Unfolding in Your Palm

Zhang Xiong, artist

1803–1886

One Hundred Flowers Unfolding in Your Palm, 1800s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Where object was made: China

Material/technique: ink; paper

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 120 x 175 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 4 3/4 x 6 7/8 in

Credit line: Gift of Katie I. Hanson?

Accession number: 1969.0063.01

Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Collection Cards: Mindful

This book is so small it can fit in the palm of your hand even when it is open. On each page the artist painted a portrait of a flower along with a short poem or description of the plant. The characters on the pages in this image tell us we are looking at the flowers of a magnolia and a crabapple tree.

The title of this book is One Hundred Flowers Unfolding in Your Palm even though there are only 17 flowers included. Why do you think this is?

A hyperbole is an exaggeration that is not meant to be deceiving but to give you a certain impression of something. “One hundred flowers” can be taken to mean a lot of flowers in one little book. Can you imagine 100 flowers in your hands?

Draw a picture of a bouquet of flowers in your hands. On the stem of each flower, try writing one thing you are grateful for today.