Selections

School of Fish Frolicking Among Water Plants

Attributed to Liu Cai (fl. ca. 11th c.), Song dynasty
Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 29.7 x 231.7 cm

This painting is unsigned, but a front section of silk on the mounting features an inscription that reads, “‘School of Fish Frolicking Among Water Plants’ by Liu Cai of the Song dynasty.” Liu Cai (style name Hongdao or Daoyuan) was a famous painter of fish in the Northern Song dynasty. Xuanhe Painting Manual describes his depictions of fish as swimming naturally about, as he was gifted at showing fish frolicking in the depths and lost in the joy of rivers and lakes. Later genera-tions came to associate paintings of fish and water with Liu Cai, thereby enhancing his reputation even more.

This painting depicts ripples above the bottomless water, the plants in limpid waters rendered with an illusory effect using light ink. The fish swim among the plants in a leisurely manner. The artist used the method of rendering the fish darker than the aquatic plants to create a layered effect. Alt-hough this is actually a Ming dynasty painting, it nonetheless retains the spirit of Liu Cai’s depic-tion of “breezes, water plants, and fish all in a lively manner.”

Fish and Aquatic Plants

Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), Qing dynasty
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 68.8 x 122.1 cm

Giuseppe Castiglione was an Italian who entered the Jesuit brotherhood at the age of 19. When he was 27, he went to China as a missionary and was summoned to serve the imperial court. A skilled painter of figures, flowers and birds, he was noted also for his renderings of horses.

This painting depicts fish swimming in a pond. Here the subject and composition are based largely on Chinese models, but the realistic Western techniques emphasize shadows and volume instead, fully expressing the three-dimensional effect of the tails and fins of the fish. The addition of white pigment also makes their skin and scales appear quite glossy. The upper edge of the painting still re-tains traces of a leaf pattern, suggesting it might have originally been part of a framed wall painting in a palace hall that was later remounted into the hanging scroll seen here.

Fish with Aquatic Plants

Anonymous, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 141.9 x 59.6 cm

As early as the Song dynasty Xuanhe Painting Manual from 1120, “Dragons and Fish” was already considered an independent category in painting.

This hanging scroll depicts plants on the water surface along with other aquatic vegetation that sug-gest an underwater scene. From top to bottom, three fish large to small have been arranged in order. They were first done by outlining the forms in light ink and then building up the scales and fins with layers of washes. The largest one at the top, a mandarin fish, was done using not only brush and ink to describe its unique characteristics but also a coarse cloth soaked in ink and dabbed on the upper surface, giving the delicate scales an even more animated and realistic effect. The water plants also were skillfully rendered to give the painting an overall decorative quality as well.

Fishes Playing Among Aquatic Plants

Hua Yan (1682-1756), Qing dynasty
Album leaf, ink and colors on paper, 20.2 x 25.4 cm

Hua Yan (style name Qiuyue, sobriquet Xinluo shanren), a native of Shanghang in Fujian, early re-sided in Hangzhou and later moved to Weiyang. He excelled at painting figure, landscape, bird-and-flower, and grass-and-insect subjects. Despite being contemporary with the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, his use of brush and ink does not have a bold bravura, making him stand apart from Yangzhou painters.

This leaf, from Hua Yan’s “Album of Sketches from Life,” depicts fishes swimming leisurely in clear waters among water plants. The largest of them, a catfish, was first outlined with strokes in light ink and then washes of light colors and ink added to express a moist effect similar to that of watercolor painting. The animated feelers using strong yet delicate lines reveal the superior skills of the painter. This work has been entrusted to the National Palace Museum from the Lanqian shan-guan collection.

New Year’s Market at a Time of Peace

Ding Guanpeng (fl. 18th c.), Qing dynasty
Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 30.3 x 233.6 cm

Ding Guanpeng, a native of Shuntian (modern Beijing), entered the court in 1726 under the Yongzheng Emperor and became a “Painter of the First Rank” in the Qianlong reign. He studied the brush manner of the late Ming artist Ding Yunpeng and the Western painting of his contemporary, Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766). Ding Guanpeng’s figures were done with exceptional precision and beauty.

This painting, completed in 1742 under the Qianlong Emperor, depicts market scenes during Chi-nese New Year’s in an age of peace and prosperity. Liu Tong’s A Brief Account of Sites in the Im-perial Capital from the late Ming dynasty mentions, “On the first day of the first lunar month…are sold glass bowls filled with goldfish that appear to change in size with the changing thickness of the glass.” In this handscroll is the scene of a vendor selling goldfish in small glass bowls. Having al-ready caught fish with a net, he represents part of a market scene in Beijing during the Chinese New Year.

Fishes and Aquatic Plants

Ma Wenlin, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Album leaf, ink and colors on paper, 8.9-21.6 x 15.7-24.9 cm

Though the birth and death dates of Ma Wenlin are unknown, he was a court painter of the middle to late Qing dynasty serving in the Ruyi Hall group around the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns (1862 to 1908).

The fans here depict perch, carp, and goldfish of various colors swimming and resting among water plants, creating for a natural sense of liveliness and harmony. Despite the fish scales appearing as crisscrossing arced lines that are slightly formulaic, the brushwork is firm and steady with the ink and color washes done in layers. The goldfish are opulently colored, while the ink tones for the perch and carp are light and elegant. The background water plants have a rich and translucent effect using plant-based colors in the “boneless” method of painting, ranging from light to dark. Solid and void interact with both luminescent beauty and elegant refinement.