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Reading in an Open Hall

Zhao Bosu (1124-1182)AD 960-AD 1279

National Palace Museum

National Palace Museum
Taipei, Taiwan

This painting depicts the corner of a courtyard by the water among hills and decorated with lake rocks, the scenery surrounded by tall pines and delicate bamboo to create an idyllic scholarly residence. Inside the pavilion is a daybed with a screen and hanging scrolls as well as books, a porcelain vase, and an incense burner on a table; a scholar is seated thereupon holding a feather fan and leaning on an armrest in a leisurely manner. Two ladies stand by a railing at the left as two young attendants on the right bring tea on their way to the pavilion. The title slip gives Zhao Bosu of the Southern Song as the artist, while the opposing leaf has calligraphy by the Qianlong emperor done some six centuries later.
In the Song dynasty, scholars emphasized "the four leisurely arts of preparing incense, brewing tea, hanging paintings, and arranging flowers" (see Record of Vain Dreams from the Southern Song). This small round fan mounted as an album leaf not only reflects these cultural activities of Song scholars, it also preserves details of garden architecture and furniture during that period, making it all the more precious.

Details

  • Title: Reading in an Open Hall
  • Creator: Zhao Bosu (1124-1182)
  • Date Created: AD 960-AD 1279
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: National Palace Museum
  • Dynasty: Song dynasty

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