::

• 

  Lunar Cleansing

  Attributed as anonymous, Five Dynasties period (907-960) Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 77.2 x 50.4 cm

  Deep in a courtyard, an autumn moon lingers bright and clear. A twisting pine complemented by paulownia and plantain trees creates a lush and exuberant scene accompanied by hibiscus, hollyhock, and chrysanthemums competing in bloom. A lady splendidly attired is seen holding a pearl in her hands as she leans forward to take some water and wash it. Three other ladies are shown in attendance, one by a table with incense, another holding a makeup case, and the other carrying a zither. Women praying to the moon for blessings had been a custom since the Tang dynasty (618-907).

  This painting has neither seal nor signature of the artist, but its old label not only gives the title but also claims it was done in the Five Dynasties period. Judging from the style of the ladiesclothing and the long-handled fan tucked at the waist of one of them, the original upon which this painting was based indeed comes from the tenth century. However, the method of depicting the trees and rocks is more exaggerated here, revealing tendencies associated with late Song or early Yuan painting in the thirteenth century and suggesting an imitation by a painter originally of the Southern Song court.

• 

  Riverside Hall in Snow

  Attributed to Zhao Boju (ca. 1120-ca. 1162), Song dynasty Album leaf, ink and colors on silk, 25.9 x 49.6 cm

  The use of brush and ink in this album leaf is neat and delicate. Thatched buildings appear on a riverbank by the water, the slatted wall open with a man reclining on a daybed, on the edge of which is a stand illustrated with ink bamboo. The man's eyes are half open with a warmer placed before the bed. Attached to the building is a small room with scrolls and a handled pot. Gleaming white snow fills the scene, the branches of withered trees also covered with snow, creating a sense of pure remoteness and elegant refinement.

  In the upper left corner is a cup-shaped seal impression with two characters for "Qianli," referring to the style name of Zhao Boju, an important painter in the period between the Northern and Southern Song. He excelled at blue-and-green landscapes, but unfortunately no reliable works of his survive. In this painting, the one-corner composition and landscape texturing with a slanted brush are period features of the Southern Song (1127-1279).

• 

  Strumming a Zither in a Pine Ravine

  Zhu Derun (1294-1365), Yuan dynasty Album leaf, ink and light colors on silk, 24.7 x 26.9 cm

  The ancestors of Zhu Derun (style name Zemin) first lived in Weiyang (modern Shangqiu, Henan) but later moved to Wu Prefecture to avoid disturbances in the countryside. Zhu became known after being recommended by Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322) to the imperial son-in-law, Prince Shen, who was Grand Guardian. Ordered to serve in the Hanlin Academy, Zhu also was a compiler at the Historiography Institute, his Anthology of the Cunfu Studio still extant.

  In this painting, Zhu Derun depicted a lofty scholar among pines in the wind playing a zither, the sounds of nature and music echoing through the ravine to the appreciation of the listeners. The painting method for the rocks and pines in the landscape follow the manner of Li Cheng (fl. 919-967) of the Five Dynasties and Guo Xi (fl. latter half of the 11^th c.) of the Northern Song. This work was once in the collection of Qing Tong (?-1368, sobriquet Zhengchen) from Gaochang (Kara-khoja), who impressed on it the seal for "Treasured Object in the Family Collection of Zhengchen."

• 

  Ten Views from Mt. Bao

  Zhang Hong (1577-after 1668), Ming dynasty Album leaf, ink and light colors on paper, 30.2 x 31.8 cm

  Zhang Hong (style name Jundu, sobriquet Hejian), a native of Wu Prefecture (modern Suzhou in Jiangsu), was good at painting landscapes and excelled at using short brushstrokes and moist ink to depict rocks and trees in a unique style with innovative compositions.

  This album of ten leaves depicts ten scenes at Mt. Bao ("Surrounded"), which is located at Lake Tai and so named because it is surrounded on all sides by water. It is also known as Mt. Dongting or Mt. Linwu. Peaks circle and form layered ridges with dense trees and open country that is home to many Buddhist monasteries. The Suzhou scholar Cai Yu (?-1541) once lived in reclusion here, taking the sobriquet "Mountain Man of Linwu." Wang Chong (1494-1533), a student of Cai, also studied in a retreat at Mt. Bao, adding further cultural import to the natural beauty of the area. On display here are the three leaves for "Linwu Grotto," "Bay of Whiling Away the Summer," and "Liu Yi Well."

• 

  Finger Citron Tree Sketched from Life

  Jiang Tingxi (1669-1732), Qing dynasty
  Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 195.9 x 81.9 cm

  Jiang Tingxi (style name Yangsun; sobriquets Youjun, Xigu), a native of Changshu in Jiangsu, was a Presented Scholar of 1703 and served to the post of Grand Academician at the Wenhua Palace. In bird-and-flower painting using the "boneless" method of washes, he followed the style of Yun Shouping (1633-1690).

  On a slope by some rocks grows a finger citron tree, its leaves and branches clearly distinguished and full of fruit. The artist's signature reads, "Respectfully painted by Your Servitor, Jiang Tingxi," indicating it was an imperial commission. The inscription by the Qing emperor Shengzu (Kangxi, r. 1662-1722) indicates that he did a poem on this subject on a tour at the Chengde Summer Retreat in 1715, which is mentioned in his Four Collections of Imperially Produced Anthologies. Finger citron is a local product of the Zhejiang and Guangdong area but was also planted in imperial gardens for appreciation.

• 

  Illustrating Imperially Calligraphed Poetry on Six Scenes at the Longfu Temple Temporary Palace

  Hu Gui (fl. 18^th c.), Qing dynasty
  Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, 24.1 x 159.3 cm

  Hu Gui (sobriquet Yuexiang), a native of Wu (modern Suzhou, Jiangsu), was favored by the Qianlong emperor (Gaozong; 1711-1799) for his brushwork and once was ordered to imitate "The Road to Shanyin" by the Ming painter Wu Bin (ca. 1550-ca. 1621).

  Longfu Temple and the Longfu Temple Temporary Palace are located between Major and Minor Yu Ridge at Mt. Ge in northeast Jixian, Tianjin. This handscroll features poems written by the Qianlong emperor in 1747 on six scenes at the Longfu Temple Temporary Palace: "Mountain Retreat of Green Clouds," "Hall of Green Finery" "Blue Peaks and Red Maples," "Half Heaven Boat," "Rosy Dipper Calling the Moon," and "Kiosk on the Wing." The handscroll takes an aerial perspective of the grouped buildings and lush landscape, the brush and ink appearing pure and beautiful. Poems of praise dating from 1763 to 1796 were inscribed seven times at the end of the handscroll.