Painting in National Palace Museum, Song dynasty part3

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of paintings from the Song dynasty! This collection includes works by some of China's most influential painters, such as Hsia Kuei, Ma Yuan, Ma Lin, Liang K'ai, and Chia Shih-ku. You will find a variety of different styles and subjects, from Remote View of Streams and Hills to Paised Egrets on a Snowy Bank, Evening Outing by Torchlight, Scholar, Immortal in Splashed Ink, Kuan-yin of a Thousand Arms and Eyes, and Ancient Temple Concealed in Seclusion. We hope you enjoy exploring these incredible works of art!

1. Remote View of Streams and Hills

Hsia Kuei was a painter who worked at the Southern Sung court. He was born in Ch'ien-t'ang (modern Hangchow) and during the reign of Emperor Ning-tsung (r. 1195-1224), he was given the Golden Belt and promoted to the

2. Paised Egrets on a Snowy Bank

Ma Yuan was from a family originally from Ho-chung, Shansi, but which later moved to Hangchow, the capital of the Southern Sung dynasty. He served as a Painter-in-Attendance at the court of Emperors Kuang-tsung and Ning-tsung.

3. Evening Outing by Torchlight

Ma Lin was born into a family from Ho-chung, Shansi (now modern Yung-chi County) that had moved to Ch'ien-t'ang (Hangchow).

4. Scholar

This painting shows a scholar deep in thought, holding a brush.

5. Immortal in Splashed Ink

Liang K'ai was a highly skilled painter, known for his beautiful figure paintings, landscapes, and religious subjects. He learned from Chia Shih-ku, but eventually surpassed his teacher.

6. Kuan-yin of a Thousand Arms and Eyes

Kuan-yin is a bodhisattva of mercy and compassion in Buddhism. A common figure in Buddhist art, the representation here differs from the one with one head and two arms often seen. Here, the head of the figure has 26 bodhisattva heads and one Buddha head.

7. Ancient temple concealed in seclusion

Chia Shih-ku served in the Imperial Painting Academy during the Shaohsing reign, which lasted from 1131 to 1162. Not much is known about his life, but we do know that he excelled at painting Buddhist and Taoist figures in a style similar to that of Li Kung-lin (10