Emperor Huizong (attributed to),
Gardenia and Lichee with
Birds, a handscroll
painting
China
Song dynasty,
12th-14th century AD
This realistic painting depicts birds amid
clusters of lichee fruits, white gardenias and leaves of deep
green. It has been painted in the
mogu
('boneless') style where colours were used without
outlines. It has been attributed to Emperor Huizong (reigned AD
1101-25) of the Northern Song dynasty, from his customary
signature, Yubi yiren
('The Sovereign of the Imperial Brush'), at the end
of the scroll.
Although it
is unlikely that Huizong painted this fine work, it is a type of
bird and flower painting which is associated with him. As a Daoist,
Huizong saw his paintings as the representation of a perfect and
harmonious world. His careful rendering of each element and skilful
balance of form and void are characteristics which influenced the
academic style of the Song
dynasty.
Emperor Huizong
was a great patron of the arts who preferred artistic pursuits to
the affairs of state. Other than his skill as a painter, he is
remembered for having reorganized the imperial painting academy and
inventing a fine and elegant style of calligraphy known as
shoujin
('slender gold').
J. Chou and C. Brown, The elegant brush: chinese pai (Phoenix Art Museum, 1985)
J. Rawson (ed.), The British Museum book of Chi (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)
A. Farrer, The brush dances and the ink s (Hayward Gallery, London, 1990)