Artist: Dong Qichang (1555-1636)

Date: Ming (1368-1644)

Dimensions: Height 53.8 cm, Width 31.7 cm

Material: Ink and colour on paper

Gift of Liu Jingji

• Object Type：
  • PAINTINGS
• Location：
  • The Painting and Calligraphy of Shanghai Gallery
• Tag：
  • view autumn album leaf dong qichang ming ink and colour paper

Dong Qichang (1357-1434), also known by his zi (designated name) Xuanzai and his hao (literary name) Sibai, was native to Huating (nowadays Songjiang district in Shanghai). He was once appointed as the Nanjing Minister of Rites when Nanjing was the secondary capital of the Ming court, and obtained the honorary posthumous title "Wenmin". He appropriated the Zen Buddhism theory into painting theory. Thus, he divided painting into the Northern School and the Southern School. He advocated the Southern School as the orthodox of literati painting. He incorporated the styles from ancient masters and developed his own style, which is testified in this album. Dong Qichang painted this painting in the autumn of 1620 when he was travelling in Suzhou and Zhenjiang on a boat.