博
Artist: Shen Zhou (1427-1509)
Date: Dated 1497, Ming (1368-1644)
Material: Ink on paper
Shen Zhou (1427-1509), also known by his zi (designated name) Qinan and hao (literary name) Shitian, was a native of Changzhou (in present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu province). This painting was created in the tenth year (1497) of the Hongzhi reign. The composition draws on the classical story of "visiting Dai Kui on the Shanxi River" to record a poetic gathering when Li Jie and others visited Shen Zhou's son Shen Yunhong at his "Youzhu Ju" (Dwelling with Bamboo) and exchanged verses. The scroll was successively collected by Yang Yi (1488-1564) and Mo Shilong (1537-1587). Yang Yi, whose zi was Mengyu, was a native of Changshu. He was a close friend of Lu Shen, and built the Wanjuan Pavilion (Myriad-Volume Pavilion) in his home, which housed a rich collection of rare Song and Yuan editions, ancient bronzes and vessels, paintings and calligraphy, including the scroll Song Copy of Yan Liben's Xiao Yi Stealing the Lanting Preface, among others. After his death, part of his collection passed to his grandson Mo Shilong of Shanghai, thus illustrating the long-lasting connoisseurship tradition in Songjiang.
