博
Artist: Cheng Jiasui (1565-1644)
Date: Ming (1368-1644)
Material: Ink and color on paper
Gift of Hong Yilan
Cheng Jiasui (1565-1644), also known by his zi (designated name) Mengyang and hao (literary name) Songyuan Laoren, was a native of She county (in present-day Huangshan, Anhui province) and once resided in Jiading (in present-day Shanghai). He excelled in landscape painting, following the styles of Ni Zan and Huang Gongwang, and was one of the "Nine Friends of Painting". He was a close friend of Qian Qianyi. This album of landscape paintings was painted at Qian's Fushui Villa on Yushan Mountain, spanning twenty years. His brushwork and ink tones are thick, tranquil, and dry, achieving a harmony of form and spirit. Cheng Jiasui was also a skilled poet, and together with Tang Shisheng and others, he was known as one of the "Four Gentlemen of Jiading". The calligraphy in this album consists of poems composed during banquets with Tang Shisheng at Xu Yuangu's "Guiyou Garden" in Jiading, with verses exchanged in response. Xu Yuangu, also known by his zi Erchang, served as a Director of the Ministry of Justice and was the grandson of Xu Xuemo, who was the Minister of Rites.
