The Value of Literati Paintings
Gu Kaizhis Painting of Ode to Goddess Luo
Zhan Ziqian and His Painting Spring Outing
Han Gan and His Painting Herding Horses
Han Huang and His Painting Five Oxen
Gu Hongzhongs Painting Han Xizai Evening
Banquet
Zhou Wenjus Playing Chess by Double
Screens
Xu Xi, Huang Quan and Non-Outlined
Paintings
Landscape Paintings by Fan Kuan
Wang Qihans Man Cleaning His Ear
Xiao and Xiang Rivers of Dong Yuan
Stories about the Painting Along the River
during the Qingming Festival
Wen Tong and His Bamboo Paintings
The Two Mis and Three Zhaos
Emperor Huizong and Academy Painting of the
Song Dynasty
Li Bais Image in Liang Kais Painting
A Brief Analysis of Ma Lins Listening to
the Wind in the Pines
Secrets of Plum Blossom Paintings of the
Song and Yuan Dynasties
Four Master Painters in Late Yuan Dynasty
Huang Gongwang and His Painting Nine Peaks
Clearing after Snow
On Wang Mengs Ge Zhichuan Resettlement
Fu Shans Piled Rocks on Hills
Bada Shanren and His Flower-and-Bird
Paintings
Self-Portrait of Jin Nong
Ren Bonians Birds-Hunting in the Autumn
Wu Changshuo and His Plum Paintings
內容試閱:
Stories about the Painting Along the River
during the Qingming Festival
Ye Kangning
The storytelling script Stories to Warn Men
Xing Shi Yan made the following quotation in Chapter 32 Three Serpents Play
Tricks in Vain and the Ding Finally Returns to the Former Owner:
An old man in this dynasty was entrusted by
a traitor minister to look for an ancient painting. He made a copy of the
painting to the traitor minister and concealed the genuine work. Unfortunately
with his trick discovered by the traitor minister, he was sentenced to death.
Although Stories to Warn Men tells only an
opinion of the novelist, the quotation was not invented but well grounded. It
involves a trade of the famous painting Along the River during the Qingming
Festival in the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. The trade was not
only recorded in many books, but also reworked into a play A Handful of
Snowflakes and staged, reflecting how great its influence was. All recordings
of the story in various books include four plots: Wang Shu soliciting the
painting, Huang Biao making a replica, Tang Chen extorting bribes and Yan Song
murdering Wang Shu.
I.Wang Shu soliciting the painting
During the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the
Ming Dynasty, Yan Song manipulated power for personal ends and his son Yan
Shifan engages in politics through his father. He was promoted from
Taichangqing an official who controls ritual, god of land and god of grains
to Zuoshilang assistant minister of the Ministry of Works for the merit of
building the outer city of the capital and was still in charge of the Shangbao
Division in charge of the imperial jade seals, tallies and chops etc.. He was
swift, fierce and cruel and greedy of potency and money. However, he was
proficiency in national decrees and regulations and had a good knowledge of
overall situation and state affairs. He once said that himself, Lu Bing and
Yang Bo were the best talents of the world. After Lu Bing died, Yan became
growingly self-conceit. Yan Song lost his wits with age, and stayed in the
Imperial Palace all the time. The subordinate officials of various departments
often said ask Donglou when they reporting affairs. Donglou was the alias of
Yan Shifan. The state affairs were all entrusted to Shifan. The officials under
the ministers even had no chance to report to the emperor or have to wait in
vain until dusk and return back. The scholars all looked askance at him with
indignation and the unworthy fellows fawned on him. Shifan was familiar with
duties of all the positions and the rules of punishment and bribes and the
others could not conceal any at all. He built his residence in the capital
city, which covered several blocks. He created a pond of dozens of mu in his
residence, and collected rare birds and trees in his residence and entertained
himself with guests wantonly all day. Even when his mother passed away he did
not changed at all. He liked bronze vessels, calligraphic works and paintings.
Zhang Wenhua, Yan Maoqing and Hu Zongxian and the like sent such treasures to
Yan or extorted treasures from the rich people until he obtained what he
wanted. The History of Ming , Volume 308
Most of the subordinate officials fawned on
Yan Song and his son for avoiding calamity if not for promotion. Yu Dayou was
once put into prison because he was frank and not good at greasiness and
provoked Yan Shifan. The Chronicles of the Ming Dynasty Ming Shi Ji Ben Mo
has such records: In the 35th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing, Yu Dayou
was put into the prison of Jinyiwei. Dayou was not good at flattery. And Yan
Shifan was angered by Yus reluctance of attachment and incited Hu Zongxian to
criminate Yus failure. Therefore Yu was sentenced and had to borrow a large
sum of money to grease Yan. Yu was pardoned of death penalty but dismissed to
Datong to redeem himself by good services.
Among the numerous hangers-on, some were
officials with political reputation. Wang Shu was one among them, who was
governor of jiliao , zuoshilang of the Ministry of War and youduyushi junior
president of the censorate. Wang Shu, styled Minying, alternative name Sizhi,
was born in Taicang. He was jinshi passed the highest imperial examination of
the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing and had defended against
Mongolian invasion at the northern border and invasion of Japanese pirates in
the south. Wang Shizhen, leader of the literary circles, was his eldest son and
Yu Dayou, a famous Ming-Dynasty General who defended China against the Japanese
pirates invasion, was his subordinate.