博
Artist: Liang Kai (dates of birth and death unknown)
Date: Southern Song (1127-1279)
Dimensions: Height 26.6 cm, Width 64.1 cm
Material: Ink and colour on silk
Liang Kai (dates of birth and death unknown), a native of Dongping (in present-day Shandong province), was a painter serving at the Imperial Art Academy in the Jiatai era. He was adept in painting landscapes and figures. This painting is divided into eight sections. The second, third, fifth, and eighth sections are inscribed with "Liang Kai". This work depicts the anecdotes of the eight noble monks: Bodhidharma meditating in front of a cliff, the young Hongren encountering an elder sage in woods, the poet Bai Juyi conversing with the monk Wuke, the monk Zhixian holding the broom and looking at the bamboo grove, the master Yuanze predicting to Li Yuan his reincarnation as the water-fetching woman's son, the master Guanxi asking a child for water, the monk Louzi confessing in front of a restaurant, and the master Shibei of the Xuansha Temple leaning on a fishing boat. Each section is accompanied by inscription without signature. Liang Kai painted this masterpiece in his middle age.
