博
Artist: Fei Danxu (1802-1850)
Date: Qing (1644-1911)
Material: Ink and color on paper
Fei Danxu (1802-1850), also known by his zi (designated name) Zitiao and hao (literary name) Xiaolou, was a native of Wucheng (in present-day Huzhou, Zhejiang province) and lived in Shanghai for a long time. Excelled in painting ladies, he was a pioneer of figure painting of the "Shanghai School". This painting depicts retired gentry from Huzhou forming a poetry society in the Xian Mountain during the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty. This scroll is a reduced-scale copy of the original gathering painting, The Virtuous Figure of the Huzhou Society. This painting was created with full spirit and vigor, representing a fine work of his mature years. In recent times, it has been in the collection of the "Hushe" (Lake Society), a Huzhou native association in Shanghai. Their clubhouse is located on present-day Guizhou Road in Huangpu district. The Hushe has been an important center for art and literature among Zhejiang natives in Shanghai. Wang Zhen, Shen Yinmo, and Shen Maishi were its members. This scroll has been publicly exhibited at the society for multiple times.
