Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains

  1. Handscroll, ink and color on paper,
  2. 28.4 x 90.2 cm

Zhao Mengfu (style name Zi'ang), a member of the Song dynasty imperial clan, went north after the Song fall to serve as an official in the Yuan capital of Dadu. This work, done in 1295 after heading back south from serving in the Ji'nan Circuit and for his friend Zhou Mi (1232-1298), depicts the scenery of Zhou's ancestral land. The composition of the scroll is succinct; by the shores of marshy slopes and expanses of water are the pointed Hua(buzhu) Mountain to the right and the rounded Qiao Mountain on the left. Both the sloping banks and trees are very similar to the motifs in Dong Yuan's landscapes. Through Zhao Mengfu's brush and ink as well as coloring, they have become even more animated, forming naturally beautiful scenery pleasing to the eye.