Magpies and Hare Cui Bo , Song dynasty

  1. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk,
  2. 193.7 x 103.4 cm

Cui Bo (style name Zixi), a native of Fengyang in Anhui, and he was a famous bird-and-flower painter of the Northern Song. This is a representative work by Cui Bo, his signature for “Brushed by Cui Bo in the ‘xinchou’ year of the Jiayou [reign, 1061]) “ appearing on the trunk of the tree. The work fully grasps the instinct of azure-winged magpie in defending its territory and the hare’s timely response, presenting a fascinating moment from the world of nature. Combining the rhythmic aesthetic of an arcing movement in the composition and rich brush and ink that varies with the subjects it depicts, it makes this a classic Northern Song work of the Painting Academy fusing both form and spirit.

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