A Dragon Boat Regatta

• Handscroll, ink on silk　
• 30.2 x 243.8 cm

Wang Zhenpeng, who went by the style name Pengmei and the sobriquet Guyunchushi, was a native of Yongjia in Zhejiang (modern-day Wenzhou). Due to his talent in painting, he became a favorite of the Confucianist Mongol emperor Renzong (r. 1311-1320). In the Yen-yu era (1314-1318), Wang served as Archivist in the Palace Library, where he was able to view ancient painting and calligraphy. In office, he served up to the post of Transport Battalion Leader. This painting is signed with a title probably prior to him becoming the Transport Battalion Leader.

According to Meng Yuanlao's Dongjingmenghualu (Dream Record of the Eastern Capital), the dragon boat regatta was held by Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty during the Chongning era (1102-1106) on the third day of the third lunar month when the palatial Jinming Pond was opened to the public. The pond, as shown here, includes such buildings as a waterfront hall, splendid towers, kiosks, and even an arched bridge and storied hallways connecting the areas. The foundation walls are inlaid with tiles , and levees by the water are planted with willow trees. The painting shows boats taking part in the regatta and the lead ship in the form of a large storied boat . All manners of skill are depicted, including playing on a swinging, doing handstands at the front of a boat, and paddling a minnow skiff .

At the end of the scroll to the left is the main hall, the Baojin Tower, with its roof of multiple ridges and eaves . The complex of columns and beams along with the detailed structure of the brackets appear layer upon layer. A viewing platform appears in front, and inside is a throne  with embroidered cloth reserved for the emperor. In front of the hall, many regally dressed guards and officials await the arrival of the emperor.

Wang Zhenpeng's extremely adept use of ruled-line painting  is astounding. Using the baimiao outlining  method reserved for monochrome ink outline painting, the result is a work filled with delicate ink lines that are exceptionally fine and dense, creating a texture that serves as a substitute for color or ink washes. This work was done in 1323. Back in 1310, Wang Zhenpeng had submitted a painting of the same title to Emperor Renzong, who was then prince, as a birthday gift. More than ten years later, Princess Xiangge Ciji (ca. 1283-1331) held an elegant gathering to appreciate painting and calligraphy, and asked Wang to paint another scroll. This scroll has two of her collection seals ("Huangjiechenwan" and "Huangjietushu"), and an attached end piece  with an inscription by the Hanlin Academician Yuan Jue  (1267-1327) was ordered by the emperor. This reveals the popularity of this painting technique under the Mongol rulers. Many similar works and tracing copies  on this subject survive today, but all seem to reuse the same basic model.

Tiles

Large storied boat

Minnow skiff

Multiple ridges and eaves

Throne

Ruled-line painting

There are two related definitions of "ruled-line." One refers to a method of painting using a brush and a ruler to make straight lines. In paintings, the brush is held against a rod or in a concave tube. The rod or tube proceeds along a ruler with the brush tip exposed, creating a straight and even line. Generally reserved for rendering buildings, it was also used for boats, bridges, and furniture. The other refers to a genre of Chinese painting, which naturally includes buildings and related themes.

baimiao outlining

Baimiao literally means "white tracing" and is sometimes also called "baihua" (white painting). One of the traditional techniques of Chinese painting, it generally refers to the lack of coloring (or perhaps only very light washes) and the use of very fine lines and outlines of ink to create the texture and forms in a work.

Attached End Piece

In the mounting of painting and calligraphy in China, a piece of blank paper was often attached at the end, which could be used for inscribing poetry or records. Because a handscroll is gradually unrolled from right to left, the attached piece does not appear until the very end.

Yuan Jue

Yuan Jue (1266-1327), after the fall of the Song dynasty, became the president of the Lize Academy and later went on to serve as a Hanlin Academician-in-waiting. Coming from a family with an extensive library, Yuan Jue was of broad learning and gifted in the connoisseurship of painting and calligraphy. His writings were also praised by contemporary scholars. Many of his records in his collected writings describe the literary activities and collection of painting and calligraphy at the court.

Tracing Copies

A tracing copy is an exact reproduction of an original work of calligraphy or painting. A tracing copy is more difficult than a freehand one, requiring considerable skills and cultivation. The artist using this technique must repress individual manner and habits while have a firm understanding of the original, including brushwork, ink, coloring, composition, and structure. Only then is the artist able to approach the quality of the ancients, one ofthe prime reasons for copying that differs often from Western concepts.