博
Artist: Wen Zhengming (1470-1559)
Date: Ming (1368-1644)
Dimensions: Height 22.3 cm, Width 110.0 cm
Material: Ink and color on paper
Gift of Shen Tongyue
Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), also known by his zi (designated name) Zhengzhong and his hao (literary name) Hengshan, was native to Changzhou (in present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). He was one of the "Four Masters of the Ming". This painting illustrates the scenes depicted in Ni Zan's poem series Spring in Jiangnan. The brushwork is meticulous and refined, and the painting is refreshing and elegant. There are responding poems and colophons by various literati from Suzhou and Songjiang accompanying the painting. Among them is Zhang Yingwen (1535-1595), with zi Maoshi, a native of Anting in Jiading county (in present-day Shanghai), who later relocated to Suzhou. As a collector admiring Ni Zan, Zhang Yingwen authored The Qingbi Collection. His son, Zhang Chou, compiled Qinghe Painting and Calligraphy Collection. This scroll vividly reflects the prosperity of collecting and connoisseurship in the Shanghai region from the mid-Ming period onward. Ni Zan's poems inscribed before the painting were forged.
