Painting in National Palace Museum, Yuan dynasty part1

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of paintings from the Yuan dynasty! This collection features some of the most iconic works from this period, such as Manual of Ink Bamboo by Wu Zhen, Meeting Friends in a Pavilion among Pines by Wang Yuan, Cloud-girdled Peaks by Gao Kegong, Pair of Lohan Paintings, Riverside Pavilion and Mountain Hues by Ni Zan, Inscribing a Portrait of Ni Zan, Wild Duck by a River by Chen Lin, Nymph of the Luo River, Five Horses by Zhao Yong, and Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains by Zhao Mengfu. These works of art provide us with a unique insight into Chinese culture during this time period, and we hope you enjoy exploring them!

1. Manual of Ink Bamboo

Wu Zhen, a Chinese artist from Jiaxing, was one of the Four Great Masters of the Yuan dynasty. In 1350, at the age of 71, he painted an album of bamboo images for his son, Fonu.

2. Meeting Friends in a Pavilion among Pines

Wang Yuan was a famous painter who was born in Qiantang, Zhejiang. He started painting at a young age and was once taught by the master painter Zhao Mengfu.

3. Cloud-girdled Peaks

The painting depicts a massive mountain rising in the center, in the style of Northern Song landscape painting. The ancestors of the painter, Gao Kegong, came from Western Asia. Gao Kegong served in office in the Jiangnan area and resided in Hangzhou.

4. Pair of Lohan Paintings

This painting shows nine lohans, or Buddhist worthies, with two attendants. The lohans are shown with various objects, such as a scroll, flywhisk, prayer beads, lotus, and incense burner.

5. Riverside Pavilion and Mountain Hues

Ni Zan was a talented painter and calligrapher who was considered one of the Four Yuan Masters.

6. Inscribing a Portrait of Ni Zan

This scroll features Ni Zan (1301-1374), one of the Four Yuan Masters of painting. The landscape on the screen behind is done in imitation of Ni's style.

7. Wild Duck by a River

Chen Lin was a close associate of Zhao Mengfu and, like him, a famous painter from the late Song into the Yuan dynasty. This small hanging scroll depicts a mallard standing on a riverbank below some hibiscus.

8. Nymph of the Luo River

This scroll is done in "baimiao" fine ink lines to depict the goddess of the Luo River riding on clouds and gliding over ripples of misty river waters.

9. Five Horses

Zhao Yong, the second son of famous scholar-artist Zhao Mengfu, was also a gifted painter and calligrapher. He was especially skilled at depicting figures and horses. This painting, from 1352, shows horses at rest and a groom dozing against a pine, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

10. Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains