Portrait of Qian Lou

This painting depicts Qian Lou, a famous recluse who lived during Warring States period (c. 475–221 BC). Qian sits on a mat before a low table, where he prepares to write on an unfurled piece of paper. Brush in hand, inkstone and water pot at the ready, a bundle of scrolls at his side, Qian is depicted as the consummate humble scholar at his craft. Along the left side of the scroll, Yu transcribed a lengthy biography of Qian Lou from the third century text Gao shi zhuan (Accounts of high-minded men).

The painter Yu Ming was born in Wuxing and spent much of his career in Shanghai and Beijing. Though largely aligned with traditionalist groups that advocated the continued development of traditions of classical Chinese painting, Yu was also trained in European watercolor techniques. According to Yu Ming’s second inscription, this painting is a copy of an original image of Qian Lou by the great Ming dynasty painter Wen Zhengming (1470–1559), and as such it reflects the interest in classical Chinese paintings that animated many of Yu’s patrons in Beijing and Shanghai.