Moxibustion
The painting depicts a 'Zoufang (mobile)' doctor employing the 'Aijiu (moxibustion)' therapy for medical treatment. The patient in the painting has two mugwort cones burning on his back that cause him to struggle and scream in pain without control; if not for the three people stabilizing his hands, legs, and shoulders, the treatment might face difficulties to continue. The doctor's assistant on the side is preparing the medicine plaster.
The six people had their facial expressions and body motions vividly portrayed, humorously capturing the intriguing scene of medical practice in the rural area. The painter intentionally used lines in various styles to compose the image, for example- steady thin lines for drawing the detailed facial features, hairs, and skins, the 'Nail Head Mouse Tail' lines for expressing the rough folds on the clothes of general citizens, the moist and heavy brushstrokes for depicting the tree trunks, and the arrangement of numerous short curves for illustrating tree leaves swaying in the wind. The excellent creativity and meticulous painting skills indicate that this is an outstanding genre painting done by the Imperial court of the Southern Song dynasty; no wonder this artwork was initially attributed to the court painter Li Tang (ca. 1049- after 1130) in the Song dynasty.
