In 1731 the Chinese painter Shen Nanpin came to Nagasaki, where he remained for two years. During this time, he taught Japanese students the traditional Chinese style of realist painting, resulting in the formation of the Nagasaki school. After Nanpin returned to China, many works in his style continued to be imported into Japan, and his influence on Japanese painting persisted into the late Edo period. In the fine example seen here, the meticulous rendering of flowers and birds and the sophisticated composition within a rectangular frame reveal the masterful craftsmanship that Japanese artists eagerly sought to learn from Nanpin.
