The brushwork in this work is elegant and moist yet strong and mature, while the ink varies from light to dark and wet to dry. The main peak consists of dramatic contrasts of black and white with little attention paid to the volume, instead revealing the pursuit of solid and void arrangements on the surface. Much emphasis was also put on the beauty of combined forms and poses of trees and stones, eschewing realism to seek harmonious innovation. This work, capturing the majestic land, forsakes petty details, making it a masterpiece among Tung's surviving works.

Myriad Miles of Rivers and Mountains
Chiang Shen (fl. early 12th c.), Sung dynasty
Handscroll, ink on silk, 46.3 x 546.5 cm

Chiang Shen lived in Cha-ch'uan (modern Wu-hsing, Chekiang) and in landscape painting followed Tung Yüan (fl. 937-975) and Chü-jan (fl. 960-980).

In this handscroll, forests and peaks overlap as valley scenes lace together in light and dark areas of mist and fog. A mountain path winds as fishermen and woodcutters travel. The end of the scroll opens onto expansive scenery, adeptly conveying the watery lake scenery of Kiangnan. The work was done in monochrome ink, with only the water and sky washed in light "shell blue" for a marvelous effect.

The Imperial Rites of Sericulture
Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1766), et al., Ch'ing dynasty
Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 51 x 576.2 cm

In antiquity, the empress led court ladies in the spring rites of sericulture for the production of silk. She would pick mulberry leaves and feed silkworms, encouraging sericulture and also defining the role of women in sericulture. Imitating antiquity, an altar compound for sericulture was built in 1742 under the Ch’ien-lung Emperor in the Ch’ing dynasty and ceremonies for "imperial sericulture rites" were set up, led first by Empress Hsiao-hsien in 1744.

This, the second of four scrolls, is entitled "The Sacrificial Altar," where the empress attends the ceremony. Figures are in rows of pomp and detail. The main ones are painted by the Italian Giuseppe Castiglione, with other court artists (Chin K'un, Lu Chan and Ch'en Yung-chia) finishing this typical documentary work of the court.

Vase with Blossoms, Plants and Fish
Ch'en Chao-feng, Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911)
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 231.7 x 117.7 cm

Further research awaits to be done on the biography of Ch'en Chao-feng.

This large hanging scroll describes an arrangement at the imperial court. The beautifully decorated vase includes an arrangement of equally attractive blossoms, such as crape myrtle and peach. Next to it in the glass bowl, four goldfish leisurely swim among water plants. The flowers were painted in the "sketching from life" manner. Done very carefully, not a single stroke appears missing. In the brushwork with as much care as the vase decoration, they form a harmonious relationship.

Painters beautified court life, and they made hanging scrolls to decorate palace buildings. Perhaps Ch’en was a painter of the Ch'ing court.