The Knick-Knack Peddler

The knick-knack peddler in this painting is seen pushing a one-wheel cart full of various sundry items and toys, having come to a stop below camellia and plum blossoms by a large garden rock. Six children have heard the peddler playing his pellet drum and calling out his presence, and they scramble to reach him and crowd around to buy something. The man has one hand on the handle of the cart and in the other peddles a toy, his actions appearing quite dramatic. The peddler’s cart is painted in cinnabar red, and the wheel is adorned with auspicious decoration traced in gold. The children are wearing bracelets, longevity lockets, and opulent clothing that further fill the painting with an air of wealth and prosperity. The delicate painting style follows in the academic tradition of the twelfth-century court painter Su Hanchen.