Descriptions of the Works

1. Anonymous, Tang dynasty (618-907)
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 48.7 x 69.5 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

The short height of this painting suggests it was originally part of a screen decoration at the imperial court later remounted into its current format as a hanging scroll. The contents depict a group of ten ladies in the women's quarters of the inner court seated around the sides of a large rectangular table. Some drink tea while others enjoy a drinking game. At the top of the painting are four women playing a double-reed instrument, pipa, guzhen, and reed pipe to enliven the banquet scene.
Although no seal or signature of the artist appears on this work, the plump figures of these stout ladies and the method of painting their hairstyles and clothing all accord with feminine aesthetics in the Tang dynasty. The work perhaps came from the hand of a painter influenced by the style of Zhang Xuan or Zhou Fang, two famous Tang artists of this subject matter. Of the works in the National Palace Museum, this one is more than a thousand years old and serves as a renowned example that best expresses the appearance of court ladies in the late Tang dynasty.

(Display period restricted to October 4 to November 14)

1. Wen Tong (1018-1079), Song dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on silk, 131.6 x 105.4 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

Wen Tong (style name Yuke) was gifted at poetry and prose as well as calligraphy, being also credited with inventing the genre of ink bamboo painting. He was praised by later generations as founder of the "Huzhou School" in this subject matter.
This painting depicts bamboo extending into the composition from the upper left, probably growing from a cliff left unseen. The stalk is twisting and strong like a dragon with the knots left blank, the strokes suggesting connection between the forms. Rendered with centered brushwork, the tip of the brush turns and flies. Complemented by the light and dark tones of ink, the painting appears to have been done at one go, completely and dynamically expressing the turning leaves and branches. The motifs, lively and realistic, testify to the period trend in Northern Song painting of grasping the underlying principles of objects. Although unsigned, this work is rare for its exceptional quality, and the two seals of Wen Tong impressed on it undoubtedly point to him as the artist, making this a representative example of Northern Song literati ink painting.

(Display period restricted to October 4 to November 14)

1. Anonymous, Song dynasty (960-1279)
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 170 x 167 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

Domesticated and wild geese, belonging to the same species, are both referred to by ancient Chinese as "yan," which translates as "wild goose." This painting shows the corner of a pond on an autumn day touched by a slight breeze. The geese are resting on a shoal surrounded and complemented by dry reeds, red polygonum, and withered lotuses. A kingfisher has just taken flight, interrupting the tranquil scene as one of the geese looks up at it, unaffected by the sudden disturbance.
The artist has combined the bank, water plants, and withered lotuses into a circular space-cell arrangement. Then, using the goose's pose and line of vision, he created a reciprocal relationship between it and the surroundings. The scenery and brushwork overall are similar to the style of Cui Bo (fl. latter half of the 11th c.), demonstrating the artist's keen observation and detailed description of the natural habitat. Such a large and outstanding example of Northern Song bird-and-flower painting is rare and a masterpiece probably from Emperor Huizong's (1082-1135) painting academy on the theme of waterfowl and autumn shoals.

(Display period restricted to October 4 to November 14)

1. Wu Zhen (1280-1354), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on silk, 180.1 x 111.4 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

Wu Zhen was gifted at poetry and prose, being especially skilled at cursive script. Also an important painter of ink bamboo and landscapes on fishing in reclusion, he became known as one of the Four Yuan Masters.
This work, done in 1328, is the earliest surviving dated painting by Wu Zhen. The "Venerable Master Leisuo" mentioned in Wu's inscription refers to the Daoist Zhang Shanyuan. The two large overlapping trees in the foreground, although referred to as pines in the title, are actually cypresses. In the background, a winding stream with cottages scattered here and there forms a level distance. The method of painting the trees and rocks follows the Li-Guo (Li Cheng and Guo Xi) and Dong-Ju (Dong Yuan and Juran) schools, the atmosphere of ink being moist and the brushwork strong and forceful. The layers of scenery are clearly defined and the simple yet stable harmony exudes a sense of archaism. Not only does this work reflect the artistic attainment of Wu Zhen, it is also valuable for studying his relationship with Daoism, providing important information about the Li-Guo and Dong-Ju schools of painting in the Yuan dynasty as well.

(Display period restricted to October 4 to November 14)

1. Zhao Yong (1291-1361), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 186 x 106 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

Zhao Yong (style name Zhongmu), the second son of the famous scholar-artist Zhao Mengfu, followed the footsteps of his father in painting and calligraphy. Zhao Yong was especially gifted at depicting figures and saddled horses.
This painting, dated to the equivalent of 1352, depicts horses at leisure and a groom dozing against a pine to highlight the relaxed atmosphere. In traditional Chinese painting, horses are seen as symbolic of human character, the groom manifesting officialdom or even the emperor. As such, this work suggests the idea of a country in peace, not requiring action on the part of the ruler and letting men of virtue give rein to their talents. The painting throughout is rendered with lines using a centered brush complemented by blue-and-green colors. Combined with the formulaic treatment of leaves, it has much of the archaic manner associated with Tang dynasty (618-907) painting. The composition, however, emphasizes the scenery more proportionally, and the arrangement is spacious and remote, possessing more literati spirit in the landscape painting. As a result, the scroll fully expresses the archaistic trend in and achievements of Yuan literati painting.

(Display period restricted to October 4 to November 14)

1. Huizong (1082-1135), Song dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 97 x 53 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in October 2012 as an Important Historic Artifact

This painting has layers of rising peaks with shoals and slopes in the lower half of the composition. The peaks are rounded and shaded with washes of light ink to give the effect of misty waters, imbuing a lyrical quality to the idea of this landscape. Although the cipher and "Yushu" seal of the Song emperor Huizong are on this painting, most of the landscape elements are located in the lower left part, an arrangement that differs from the centralized landscape manner of the Northern Song period. Stylistically speaking, it would instead appear to date from the early Southern Song period (1127-1279).
In fact, this work represents a transition in period style from monumental Northern Song landscapes to the more lyrical atmosphere of Southern Song ones. The brushwork is quite refined, featuring a combination of the Li-Guo (Li Cheng and Guo Xi) school of brush and ink with the harmony of light ink in literati painting, giving this work special importance artistically.

1. Yan Wengui (967-1044), Song dynasty
2. Album leaf, ink and colors on silk, 24.5 x 26 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in April 2011 as a National Treasure

This painting depicts the scenery of high mountains with distant peaks appearing above clouds and a rising foreground enveloped in mist. The three groups of mountain forms skillfully echo each other, the blank areas of clouds and mist highlighting them further. Despite the small size of the painting, it nonetheless gives the effect of a broad vista. The rock faceting in particular has been created with many texture strokes and washes that form the surface quality, the brushwork similar to that of Li Tang (ca. 1070-after 1150). It would thus stylistically make this work a transitional piece between Li's "Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys" and "Intimate Scenery of River and Mountains," also in the National Palace Museum.
This album leaf bears neither seal nor signature of the artist, the traditional title label giving the present title and the attribution to Yan Wengui. However, stylistic comparison shows it to be unrelated to Yan, a court painter active in the Northern Song period. Rather, it is a masterful work of the early Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) influenced by Li Tang.

1. Zhao Bosu (1124-1182), Song dynasty
2. Album leaf, ink and colors on silk, 24.9 x 26.7 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in April 2011 as an Important Historic Artifact

This painting depicts the corner of a courtyard by the water among hills and decorated with lake rocks, the scenery surrounded by tall pines and delicate bamboo to create an idyllic scholarly residence. Inside the pavilion is a daybed with a screen and hanging scrolls as well as books, a porcelain vase, and an incense burner on a table; a scholar is seated thereupon holding a feather fan and leaning on an armrest in a leisurely manner. Two ladies stand by a railing at the left as two young attendants on the right bring tea on their way to the pavilion. The title slip gives Zhao Bosu of the Southern Song as the artist, while the opposing leaf has calligraphy by the Qianlong emperor done some six centuries later.
In the Song dynasty, scholars emphasized "the four leisurely arts of preparing incense, brewing tea, hanging paintings, and arranging flowers" (see Record of Vain Dreams from the Southern Song). This small round fan mounted as an album leaf not only reflects these cultural activities of Song scholars, it also preserves details of garden architecture and furniture during that period, making it all the more precious.

1. Li Di (12th c.), Song dynasty
2. Album leaf, ink and colors on silk, 25.2 x 26.1 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in April 2011 as an Important Historic Artifact

Li Di was active from the Northern to Southern Song period as a court artist in the Painting Academy. He specialized in bird-and-flower, insect-and-grass, and dog-and-cat subjects, being an outstanding painter at the early Southern Song court in bird-and-flower and rock-and-bamboo themes.
This small work shows the leafy tips of some plants, on which a praying mantis raises its forelimbs in an apparent attempt to catch a beetle that has just flown away before becoming its next meal. The praying mantis, "empty-handed," appears to look back at the beetle almost with a sense of dejection. This life-and-death moment in the insect world, shown in the contrast between pursuit and flight, is vividly captured by the painter to create tension in a serene setting. The delicate variations of hues in the painting, as well as the sensory appeal of plants and insects in this intimate scene, fully express the painter's stylistic tradition in terms of the coloring and qualities sought in the Northern Song painting academy of Emperor Huizong (reigned 1101-1125).

1. Cai Xiang (1012-1067), Su Shi (1036-1101), Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), Mi Fu (1051-1108); Song dynasty
2. Handscroll, ink on paper; 29.6 x 59 cm, 30.9 x 47.9 cm, 29.3 x 21.7 cm, 26.5 x 82 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in January 2015 as a National Treasure

The first section of this handscroll is the "Haiyu" modelbook, a letter written by Cai Xiang in his thirties to his friend Han Qi and an excellent example of Northern Song calligraphy in the style of Yan Zhenqing (709-785). The second section is "Poetry in Rhyme for the Master of the Three Colleges" done by Su Shi at the age of 52. Steady and firm, the calligraphy is not confined to conventional methods and serves as a classic example of Su's free-spirited style. The third is "Letter to Mingshu" by Huang Tingjian, in which the movement includes the methods of Huaisu's (737-799) brush turns. Strong and thorough, the character forms slant mostly to the right, creating for a high-spirited feeling. The fourth section is the "Daowei" modelbook done by Mi Fu at the age of 49. It ranges greatly from light to heavy and fast to slow, being a masterful work in terms of technique and spirit.
In the early Qing dynasty, the collector Li Zongkong (1620-1689) had these four treasures of Northern Song calligraphy mounted together, the handscroll becoming a standard bearer for the study of Chinese calligraphy.

1. Zhu Xi (1130-1200), Song dynasty
2. Album leaf, ink on paper, 33.3 x 47.8 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in April 2011 as an Important Historic Artifact

Zhu Xi was a famous thinker of the Southern Song period who spent his life pursuing the ambition of establishing a new order for the country.
Zhu wrote this letter in the eighth lunar month of the Shaoxi fifth year (1194) after leaving his post as Administrator of Tanzhou (modern Changsha, Hunan) and on his way back to the capital. In it, he mentions the government affairs to be addressed in Tanzhou. Near the beginning of the letter, he relates the sad news of "national mourning," referring to the death of Retired Emperor Xiaozong in the sixth month of that year. However, in the following month, after Emperor Guangzong abdicated in favor of Ningzong, Zhu Xi had the opportunity to go to court and serve as an Instructor, bringing him joy as well. The brushwork throughout the letter is brisk, the dots and strokes rounded and smooth with sedate lines that are also fluid. Moreover, the line spacing has a sense of continuity that expresses freedom and easy naturalness. Zhu Xi, known for creating a grand synthesis of Song Neo-Confucian thought, had a great impact on Chinese culture. This work, one of the few surviving traces of the brush from his hand, is thus all the more important.

1. Lu You (1125-1210), Song dynasty
2. Album leaf, ink on paper, 33.2 x 53.4 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in April 2011 as an Important Historic Artifact

Lu You (style name Wuguan, sobriquet Fangweng), a native of Shaoxing in Zhejiang, was a talented and untrammeled scholar who excelled at poetry and prose, his works possessing an unusual quality of splendor full of dramatic sentiment. Reflecting the trend at the time, he was the most important poet of the Southern Song period.
Lu wrote this letter in the Qiandao sixth year (1170) to his friend, Zeng Feng (style name Yuanbo). Lu was not only a Southern Song litterateur but an important calligrapher as well. He once wrote, "In calligraphy learn from Yan (Zhenqing)," referring to the Tang dynasty master. And in his literary collection are many references to "Colophon on the Calligraphy of (Su) Dongpo," indicating that he studied the Song calligraphy of Su Shi quite extensively, too. In fact, this letter is concrete evidence of Lu's studying the calligraphy of both Yan and Su. The style is plump but dynamic, following his convention in letters written after his middle years. It is thus a representative example of Lu following the Northern Song stylistic trend of Su Shi.

1. Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), Yuan dynasty
2. Album leaf, ink on paper, 27 x 70 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as an Important Historic Artifact

Zhao Mengfu (style name Ziang, sobriquet Songxue daoren) was a native of Wuxing in Zhejiang. A scion of the Song imperial family, he was recruited by and took up office under the following Yuan dynasty as a Hanlin Academician. He excelled at calligraphy as well as painting, becoming one of the most respected masters of his time and a leader of Yuan dynasty art circles.
This is a letter than Zhao Mengfu wrote to the high Buddhist monk Zhongfeng Mingben (1263-1323). The two had met during the Dade reign (1297-1307), and Zhao and his wife became his disciples. In the Yanyou sixth year (1319), Zhao quit office and returned to the south, his wife falling ill and passing away in Shandong. The album "Calligraphy of the Zhao Clan" in the National Palace Museum includes eleven letters by members of Zhao's family mostly asking Zhongfeng respectfully to lead funerary rites for Zhao's wife. Each of the characters reveals personal feelings, this work being no exception. The brushwork throughout is refined and written with concentrated spirit and archaic spirit harmony, falling squarely within the tradition of the Jin dynasty master.

1. Wei Jiuding (14th c.), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 90.8 x 31.8 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in December 2013 as a National Treasure

Wei Jiuding (style name Mingxuan), a native of Tiantai in Zhejiang, excelled at landscape, figure, and "ruled-line" painting.
This scroll is done in "baimiao" fine ink lines to depict the goddess of the Luo River riding mysteriously on clouds and gliding over ripples of misty river waters. Her supple yet decisive and flowing robes flutter in the wind like a twisting dragon ascending to the heavens, fully exhibiting the deity's spirited and otherworldly beauty. Compared to the more complex narrative of other depictions, this painting focuses almost solely on the goddess, the scenery especially lofty and archaic. Behind is a large area of void, at the left are traces of the original paper removed, and at the right is an inscription by the famous contemporary artist Ni Zan. The distance at the top has a few strokes of the brush to suggest rolling peaks, but stylistically they appear to have been added by another hand. The only painting by Wei Jiuding in the National Palace Museum collection, this is a rare and especially precious work.

1. Chen Lin (ca. 1260-1320), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 35.7 x 47.5 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as an Important Historic Artifact

Chen Lin (style name Zhongmei), a native of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, was a close associate of Zhao Mengfu and, like him, a famous painter from the late Song into the Yuan dynasty.
This small hanging scroll depicts a mallard standing on a riverbank below some hibiscus. Based on the contents of Qiu Yuan's (1247-1326) colophon on the inscription paper mounted above the work, we learn that Chen Lin painted on the spur of the moment when visiting the Songxue Studio of Zhao Mengfu during autumn. Zhao even added a few strokes to the painting as well. The brushwork for depicting the duck is delicate but not overly refined or with any stiffness. The ripples of the water and lines for the hibiscus, however, are bolder and livelier, bearing a strongly rustic and untrammeled manner. This painting featuring the brushwork of two Yuan masters is indeed rare. Moreover, the use of brush and ink conveys the idea of "injecting calligraphic brushwork into painting" advocated by Zhao Mengfu, the brush turns and ink gradations bringing about a completely new feeling.

1. Zhang Yu (1283-1350), Yuan dynasty
2. Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, 28,2 x 60.9 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in September 2011 as a National Treasure

According to the inscription by Zhang Yu at the left side, the main figure in this scroll is none other than Ni Zan (1301-1374), one of the Four Yuan Masters of painting. The landscape on the screen behind is also intentionally done in imitation of Ni's style. The pose of the figure is also borrowed from that of Vimalakirti in Buddhist painting, transforming the image of Ni Zan into that of a refined and lofty recluse.
The painting with intentional pale colors depicts Ni Zan with brush and paper, as if about to pour out his heart. By Ni's side is an attendant holding a flywhisk, water vessel, and washbasin in an apparent reference to his fastidious cleanliness. Zhang Yu, a close friend of Ni Zan, here wrote an inscription of praise, part of which reads: "Gazing askance at the fullness of life, he takes the world lightly with a sense of humor." Outer appearance revealing the inner spirit is exactly what the portrait attempts to achieve. This scroll reflects an important friendship in Chinese painting and the development of literati portraiture, having great period significance and artistic quality as well.

1. Ni Zan (1301-1374), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 94.7 x 43.7 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as an Important Historic Artifact

Ni Zan excelled at landscape and ink bamboo painting, his calligraphy also pure and marvelous. He is ranked along with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Wang Meng as one of the Four Yuan Masters.
This painting from the year 1372 is inscribed with poetry that Ni Zan wrote himself. Done for his friend Huanbo, it is a typical example of the "Three Perfections" of painting, poetry, and calligraphy in a single work and a literati painting for a friend in the know. The composition here is more complex than in Ni's earlier works, skillfully intersecting the slopes and branches to lead the viewer's eye into the remote distance for a sense of desolation in autumn woods. Despite the independent appearance of dots, washes, texturing, and brush scrubbing on the paper, all come together as a cohesive whole. Complemented by dry ink and desiccated textures using a slanted brush, it creates for an atmosphere of clarity, brittleness, desolation, and high antiquity--a reflection almost of Ni Zan's own obsession with cleanliness. Pouring forth with ease, these qualities form a marvelous truth that make this a masterpiece of Ni's late years.

1. Wang Meng (1308-1385), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 68.7 x 42.5 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure

Wang Meng (style name Shuming, sobriquet Huanghe shanqiao) was a maternal grandson of Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322). Along with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Ni Zan, he is ranked among the Four Yuan Masters.
"Juqu" in the title here is an ancient name for Lake Taihu, and "Forest Chamber" refers to a grotto there at Dongting West Mountain. The scenery in the painting with eroded features of caves and gullies reveals precipitous buildings and a waterside kiosk. The mountains are rendered in dry "ox-hair" texture strokes, the brushwork mature and varied. The leaves are also painted in wash dots of ochre, gamboge, and cinnabar, filling the work with a sense of autumn. Both the brushwork and coloring are marvelously spirited, the forms crammed into a composition that it is almost claustrophobic in feeling, creating an arrangement rarely seen in Chinese painting history. From the solidity of Northern Song landscapes to the lyrical void of Southern Song ones, the development of landscape painting at this time is seen entering new territory in the hands of Wang Meng.

1. Anonymous, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)
2. Hanging scrolls, ink and colors on silk, both 157.6 x 79.6 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure

A total of nine lohans, or Buddhist worthies also known as arhats, appear in the left and right scrolls with two attendants, making for a pair of paintings with eighteen lohans, a traditional number. The lohans hold various objects, such as a scroll, flywhisk, prayer beads, lotus, and incense burner. In various exotic forms, both old and young lohans are shown. Some appear to be Indian with deep-set eyes, prominent noses, and darker skin, while others are Chinese with slender eyebrows and lighter skin.
The drapery lines are condensed and the brushwork varied, at times even and lingering with a fluid and flowing manner. At other times, it is hesitant and twisting, forceful and vigorous. The facial features and hair of the figures are rendered with delicate strokes, and even the refined details of the drapery patterns are fully expressed. Although bearing no seal or signature of the artist, the rendering throughout is precise and exacting, the coloring beautiful but not overbearing to create a pure and elegantly otherworldly effect. The pair of scrolls serves as a superb example of Yuan dynasty religious painting.

1. Shen Du (1357-1434), Ming dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 50.5 x 23.4 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as an Important Historic Artifact

Shen Du was a native of Huating (modern Shanghai, also known in ancient times as Yunjian). He led the formation of the "Academic Style" of Ming dynasty calligraphy and was praised by the Ming emperor Chengzu as the "Wang Xizhi of Our Dynasty."
Tao Yuanming (ca. 365-427) wrote "The Homecoming Ode" to express his frustrations with officialdom and his longing for bucolic life in the countryside. This work is done in clerical script, perhaps to give it a sense of high antiquity. The character forms are slightly elongated and the line spacing regulated. The dots and strokes are even with a flicking of the brush, its tip pointed and sharp with the application and lifting akin to snapping needles and slicing steel. This quality from stone engravings of Wei and Jin dynasty steles became mature and precise in the hands of Shen Du, who also gave it a decorative quality, too. This may have also had something to do with his high status at court during the time while reflecting the tendencies of his period and school of calligraphy.

1. Bian Wenjin (ca. 1356-1428), Ming dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 151.3 x 78.1 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure

Bian Wenjin was an important bird-and-flower academic painter during the early Ming dynasty active at the Yongle (1402-1424) and Xuande (1426-1435) courts. His style followed the tradition of fine brushwork and strong colors tracing back to the Northern Song school of Huang Quan but also integrating the Southern Song Painting Academy manner.
The artist's inscription on this painting reads, "In the seventh month, autumn, of 'guisi' in the Yongle reign (1413), Bian Jingzhao (Wenjin) of Longxi painted 'Three Friends' and a Hundred Birds at the official's residence in Chang'an." In ancient times, people referred to the capital as "Chang'an," meaning that this painting was done in Nanjing, the capital at the time, and perhaps on imperial order. The pine, bamboo, and plum tree form the main framework of the composition along with the slope. Interspersed among them are nearly a hundred birds, creating a strongly decorative effect. The outlines of the slope and plum tree as well as the brushwork for the texturing are slightly relaxed, but the painting as a whole generally still falls within the tradition of outlines filled with ink and colors. The style, opulent yet refined, represents a classic example of court taste.

1. Dai Jin (1388-1462), Ming dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 137.5 x 63.1 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure

Dai Jin, a native of Qiantang in Zhejiang, was the founder of the "Zhe School" of landscape painting in the Ming dynasty. Upheld by later generations as its standard bearer, his style became a model and he venerated as the Zhe School patriarch.
The foreground of this painting depicts a roaring torrent with rocks dispersed therein and a cliff in the background. A mountain rises behind as the area to the right opens to reveal a wide expanse of water with sails in the far distance. Fishermen go about their livelihood in an ideal scene of peace and leisure. The diagonal composition derives from the landscape arrangement developed in the Southern Song Painting Academy. The lines and "moss dots" of the trees, however, are done with hoary and solid brushwork that reflects the literati manner associated with such Yuan dynasty artists as Wu Zhen (1280-1354) and Sheng Mao. The outlines of the trees and rocks feature great speed and bravura. The painting as a whole combines classical spiritedness with quick untrammeledness, being a typical example of Dai Jin's style integrating the virtues of various artists to which he added his own.

1. Shang Xi (15th c.), Ming dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 98.3 x 143.8 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as an Important Historic Artifact

Shang Xi was a Ming dynasty court painter who served during the Xuande reign (1426-1435). Awarded the honorary rank of Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, he excelled at painting figural and narrative subjects.
This hanging scroll is a type of auspicious subject to bless for long life, a traditional theme for birthdays. It depicts four immortals of Buddhist and Daoist origin (Li Tieguai, Liu Haichan, Hanshan, and Shide) together in the same work standing on waves. The four look up at the "Old Immortal of the South Pole," the God of Longevity, approaching on the back of a crane in the upper center. The use of brush and ink throughout the scroll is precise and delicate, the expressions of the figures harmonious and animated as if in conversation. The robe ends flutter in the wind, the brush lines angular and forcefully rendered. The waves, on the other hand, are outlined with trembling strokes that increase the magnitude of the subject. Having much of the decorative manner of Ming academic painting, the scroll also reveals a trend towards more popular themes in court art at the time.

1. Qiu Ying (ca. 1494-1552), Ming dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 155.4 x 133.4 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in May 2015 as a National Treasure

Qiu Ying (style name Shifu, sobriquet Shizhou) resided in Suzhou. He studied painting under Zhou Chen (1460-1535) and came to excel at landscape and figural subjects, becoming known along with Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, and Tang Yin as one of the Four Ming Masters.
This painting is done on two bolts of silk joined to make an oversized hanging scroll. It depicts a figure sitting on a rock as two people have boarded a boat on the other bank. Another person arrives carrying a shoulder load, the boatman raising his hand to beckon him make haste. The figures are all delicately rendered and spirited, the coloring beautiful but not too strong or dense. The brushwork for the mountains is done in outlines with chopping strokes similar to "axe-cut" texturing, and the composition of space forms a zigzag that extends into the distance to express the expansiveness of a water-filled realm. This harks back to the tradition of Zhou Chen, who studied the painting style of the Song dynasty, taking the dense landscape and transforming it into openness. Although this painting is undated, the artistic achievement is exceptional, suggesting a masterpiece from Qiu Ying's late years.

1. Wang Hui (1632-1717), Qing dynasty
2. Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 33 x 374.4 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure

Wang Hui, a native of Changshu in Jiangsu, was one of the "Four Wangs" of the early Qing dynasty. Excelling in painting since childhood, he received instruction from two of the other Four Wangs, Wang Jian (1598-1677) and Wang Shimin (1592-1680), also having the opportunity to view ancient works in the possession of collectors in various areas. Copying and imitating these works, he was able to integrate past and present as well as northern and southern styles to develop his own style and become one of the premier painters of the Qing dynasty.
This handscroll depicts distant mountains in light ink with a pathway winding among them, the forests extending from the distance to the foreground. Interspersed are waterside pavilion, village, and tower motifs as well as bridge and waterfall elements. The juxtaposition of solid and void in the scenery adds variety to the compositional complexity, and the complementary use of light and wet ink creates a pleasing balance of washes. The brushwork throughout the scroll is refined and animated, the concept elegantly refined and marvelously lofty. It is exactly how Yun Shouping (1633-1690), a contemporary of Wang Hui, wrote in his inscription of praise at the end of this scroll: "Steady and boundless, the spirit soars." Done at the age of 52, this is a masterpiece representative of Wang Hui's mature period of painting.

1. Yun Shouping (1633-1690), Qing dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 86.1 x 38.4 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as an Important Historic Artifact

Yun Shouping (sobriquet Nantian), a native of Wujin in Jiangsu, was gifted at poetry and prose, painting, and calligraphy. Especially noted for painting, he became known along with the Four Wangs and Wu Li as one of the Six Early Qing Masters. He originally excelled at landscape painting but later felt he could not compete with Wang Hui, one of the Four Wangs specializing in landscapes. He thereafter turned to the bird-and-flower theme, becoming one of the most renowned masters of flower painting in the Qing dynasty.
This painting is a combination of plum blossoms, pine, bamboo, water, and the moon, representing the "Five Purities" symbolizing the pure and uncommon sentiments of a gentleman-scholar. The composition is divided into three levels; in the upper one is an old pine that crosses into view with a full moon behind it. In the central area are plum branches and bamboo luxuriantly mingling together, and finally below are rushing waters. The brushwork throughout the painting is mellow and peaceful, the ink tones tranquil as well. Together, they convey an incomparably harmonious atmosphere, making this a masterpiece by Yun Shouping in ink flower painting.

1. Court painters, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 175 x 97 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in December 2013 as a National Treasure

This is one of a set of twelve paintings that is undated, but evidence shows it to be a product of the Painting Academy in the early Qianlong reign (1736-1795). This scroll for the twelfth lunar month shows a landscape with snow and waters frozen in the depths of winter. Buildings recede realistically from the foreground into the distance, and various activities have been arranged in clusters, the details of which are rendered with precision. Some people stand at leisure, others warm themselves, and some skate on the ice. Children in courtyards play ball or with a shuttlecock and make a snow lion, fully engrossed in game.
The painting is beautifully rendered in ink and colors, the architectural elements painstakingly portrayed with artistry that is exceptionally refined and delicate. A key work for studying the style of the Painting Academy in the early Qianlong reign, it is a masterpiece of Qing court painting.

1. Anonymous, Five Dynasties period (907-960)
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 118.4 x 63.8 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

This painting depicts a herd of deer frolicking and at rest among a dense grove of maple trees in autumn with white birch scattered here and there as well. The painting conveys the flourishing scene of an autumn day somewhere to the north. The deer were completely rendered in light ink and delicate washes, while the trunks and branches of the trees were first delineated with ink and then piled with dense clusters of leaves in outlines. The leaves were then filled with light and dark shades of red, white, yellow, ink, and light blue depending on the type of tree, creating for a dazzling and varied appearance.
The style and dimensions of this painting are quite similar to those of another work in the National Palace Museum ("Herd of Deer in a Maple Grove," verified and declared a National Treasure in 2012). Neither has the seal or signature of the artist, and it is now assumed that both came from the same original set of paintings. Their archaic and overflowing manner has an extremely decorative touch, and the techniques of painting and coloring differ from those used in the Chinese tradition, leading scholars to propose them as representative works of the Liao dynasty from the latter half of the tenth century.

(Display period restricted to November 15 to December 25)

1. Huizong (1082-1135), Song dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 184.4 x 123.9 cm
3. Verified and declared by the Ministry of Culture in March 2012 as a National Treasure

This painting depicts a group of scholars in a garden by a pond enjoying a banquet. A large lacquered table has been placed under a tree with all kinds of tableware and food on it. In the foreground is a group of young attendants around a small table preparing tea. The figures are all spirited and elegant with clear expressions, while the objects and garden motifs are painstakingly rendered, indicating most likely a fine work of Huizong's Painting Academy.
Judging from the inscriptions by Huizong and his minister Cai Jing at the top of the painting, it may be surmised that the contents are related to the historical event of the Eighteen Scholars depicted in "Ascending to the Isles of Immortality" in the Tang dynasty (618-907). Although the painting is beautiful and exacting, it still has a scholarly air that fully represents the requirements of and results sought by Huizong for his Painting Academy. Both in terms of quality and research value, it is a rare and important work.

(Display period restricted to November 15 to December 25)

1. Anonymous, Song dynasty (960-1279)
2. Hanging scroll, ink and light colors on silk, 188.1 x 111.3 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

The Buddha, seated with legs crossed on a lotus pedestal, on either side a heavenly king as protectors of the Buddhist law, the great disciples Ananda and Mahakashyapa, and a bodhisattva making offerings. The Buddha has long eyebrows and delicate eyes for a refined yet majestic appearance, while the two heavenly kings wear armor and brandish a sword and lance to convey their fierce martial spirit. The figures in the painting all vary in terms of expression, each of them true to life.
In the four corners of this painting are half impressions for the double dragon, "Zhenghe" (connected bead), "Zhenghe," and "Xuanhe" seals. They accord with seals used for the "Xuanhe mounting" style of Emperor Huizong (reigned 1101-1125) and therefore indicate it was once in his collection. The swelling forms of the bodhisattva figures and the ink shading to the drapery lines are vestiges of the late Tang dynasty (618-907) style. The indistinct "ushnisha" (head protuberance) of the Buddha and the small mark on the forehead are features of Song Buddha figures, suggesting this scroll was painted in the early part of the dynasty.

(Display period restricted to November 15 to December 25)

1. Wang Yuan (14th c.), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on silk, 86.9 x 49.3 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

Wang Yuan (style name Ruoshui, sobriquet Danxuan), a native of Qiantang in Zhejiang, started painting as a child and once received instruction from the master Zhao Mengfu. In bird-and-flower painting, Wang followed the tenth-century tradition of Huang Quan, and in landscapes that of Guo Xi in the eleventh century. In figure painting, he followed the Tang dynasty style, in all the above achieving marvelous results.
This painting features a level-distance composition with two tall pines in the middle reaching far upwards. In the foreground is a thatched pavilion by the water with two scholars inside. Behind the treetops are seen sailboats in the distance following the wind. The painting as a whole has a pure and remote tranquility, the brushwork mature and reserved but with a fitting touch of liveliness. Each stroke is solidly placed without a hint of reservation, making it equal to that of Song dynasty artists. The surviving works by Wang Yuan are mostly bird-and-flower subjects in monochrome ink, this being a rare and excellent example of his landscape painting. He completed it in the Zhizheng seventh year (1347).

(Display period restricted to November 15 to December 25)

1. Zhang Yu (1283-1350), Yuan dynasty
2. Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 108.4 x 42.6 cm
3. Provisionally classified by the National Palace Museum as a National Treasure
4. Restricted Display Work

Zhang Yu (style name Boyu, also having the sobriquet Juqu waishi), a native of Qiantang in Zhejiang, became a Maoshan Daoist at the age of thirty but returned to being a Confucian scholar when he was sixty. Traveling throughout the lower Yangtze River area and Zhejiang, he met and reciprocated with many local writers and artists, attaining a high repute among Daoists, Buddhists, and Confucian scholars as well.
Zhang's calligraphy follows that of Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322) in tracing back to the Jin and Tang dynasties, and it often appears as inscriptions on the works of contemporaries. Song and Yuan dynasty calligraphy survives mostly in the form of handscrolls and album leaves, but this is a rare example of a piece from the time done as a hanging scroll. The characters here vary between large and small, leaning unstably from one side to the other. The use of ink also ranges from dry to moist, the force of the brush tip penetrating with an untrammeled and decisive manner. The mix of regular, running, and cursive script forms reflects Zhang Yu's high degree of skill and flexibility in doing calligraphy.

(Display period restricted to November 15 to December 25)