Artist: Xu Wei (1521-1593)
Date: Ming (1368-1644)
Dimensions: Height 33.5 cm, Width 522.8 cm
Material: Ink on paper
Gift of Shen Tongyue et al.
Xu Wei (1521-1593) is also known by his zi (designated names) Wenqing and Wenchang and his hao (literary names) Tianchi Shanren and Qingteng Jushi. A native of Shanyin (present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang province), Xu Wei is noted for his paintings of landscapes, figures and flowers, expressing dramatic emotion with only a few brushstrokes. This scroll is divided into sections, each depicting exquisite flowers rendered with calligraphic brushstrokes appropriated from cursive script, while the colouring technique stands out as particularly unconventional. Every section is inscribed by the artist's own poem.
