Artist: Chen Jiru (1558-1639)
Date: Ming (1368-1644)
Dimensions: Height 23.5 cm, Width 15.2 cm
Material: Ink and colour on paper
Chen Jiru (1558-1639), also known by his zi (designated name) Zhongchun and hao (literary name) Meigong, was a native of Huating (in present-day Songjiang, Shanghai). After abandoning official career aspirations, he retired to the retreats at Xiaokunshan and Sheshan where his scholarly pursuits earned him the title "Prime Minister in the Mountains". A close friend of Dong Qichang, Chen famously bestowed the hao "Xiake" upon the young traveler Xu Xiake during his visit to Sheshan. This album, inscribed as "painted in the woods by waterside", epitomizes Chen's leisure reclusive life. An admirer and skilled painter of plum blossoms, he painted them with bamboo and narcissus accompanied by his own poetry. The album exudes transcendent serenity.