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"Master" Li, Sung
Dynasty (960-1279)
Album leaf, ink and color on silk, 24.5 x 25.4 cm |
The cross-shaped ridge of the double-eave, hip-and-gable
roof shown here has curved ends, ridge ornaments,
sloping tiles, rafters
and eaves, and sets of animal cap ornaments all
rendered with exceptional detail. The barge-board panel
is highly decorated. Below the roof is a bracketing
system in which two intermediary brackets are found above the central bay and a single
bracket above the secondary bays on either side. This form of construction closely
correlates to Sung dynasty building practices.
The bracket sets are located above the lintel and protrude from the corner column. There is no
"topping lintel (p'u-po fang)," which was almost always found after the Chin
(1115-1234) and Southern Sung (1127-1279). The building here is situated on an elevated
foundation, followed by a post-and-lintel structure, and then bracketing to support the
floor above. The veranda around the structure is decorated with railings. The covered bridge extending from the building has a support, visible to the right, along with two center
rows of columns known as p'ai-ch'a chu.
Consequently, this work is important for not only studying water control, but also Sung
wooden bridge construction. Such apparent understanding of architecture suggests that this
work came from the hand of a major Southern Sung court artist, such as Li Sung, who
himself is said to have started his career as a carpenter.
This is the fourth leaf from the album "Ming-hui chi-chen."
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