Vista into the Distance
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Zha Shibiao, an Anhui native, was descended from a family with a sizable collection of antiquities, including Song and Yuan paintings. Uninterested in civil service, he supported himself through painting and calligraphy while traveling in the lower Yangzi region before settling down in Yangzhou by the late 1660s.
Early exposure to a broad range of painting models enabled Zha to break free of the stylistic dominance of Hongren (1610–1664), with whom he was personally acquainted. Here, Zha evokes the exquisite simplicity of Hongren’s principal model, Ni Zan (1306–1374). Adopting Ni’s typical composition—a wide river separating foreground trees from distant mountains—Zha’s addition of rich vegetation and a human figure transforms Ni’s austere style, creating an inviting environment for reclusion as described in Zha’s poetic inscription.
cat. no. 48
Early exposure to a broad range of painting models enabled Zha to break free of the stylistic dominance of Hongren (1610–1664), with whom he was personally acquainted. Here, Zha evokes the exquisite simplicity of Hongren’s principal model, Ni Zan (1306–1374). Adopting Ni’s typical composition—a wide river separating foreground trees from distant mountains—Zha’s addition of rich vegetation and a human figure transforms Ni’s austere style, creating an inviting environment for reclusion as described in Zha’s poetic inscription.
cat. no. 48
Artwork Details
- 明/清 查士標 平林曠望圖 軸
- Title: Vista into the Distance
- Artist: Zha Shibiao (Chinese, 1615–1698)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: dated 1675
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on satin
- Dimensions: Image: 61 1/4 x 20 1/16 in. (155.5 x 51 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by The Chih Lo Lou Collection, Hong Kong
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art