Lofty Scholars T'ang Yin (1470-1523), Ming Dynasty Handscroll, ink on paper, 23.7 x 195.8 cm     Shown first here is a child attendant with hands clasped. Next to a round stool is a straw mat with paper, brush, book, inkstone, and other objects. In the center, three lofty scholars converse against a backdrop of trees, rocks, and moss clumps. The marvelous brushwork is forceful, combining light and dark ink. At the end of the scroll is a stone table with a jar and an unrolled scroll of paper.      According to the colophon by T'ang Kuang, this was one of four sections imitating the styles of the Sung painters Li Kung-lin (1049-1106), Liu Sung-nien (12th-13th c.), Ma Ho-chih (ca. 1130-1180), and Liang K'ai (mid-13th c.). Due to a fire in 1650, only this section in the Liang K'ai style remains. The manner is very cursive, similar to T'ang's handscroll "Picking Lotuses" (1520), dating it to the period after the age of 50 (between 1520 and 1523).