Album Leaf and Two Text Leaves, from "Landscapes from Nature, Poetry, and Art"

Wang Chen was a descendant of the great scholar-official Wang Shimin. His inscriptions here indicate that the basis for this album of large landscapes was the natural scenery of Chu, a region located south of the Yangzi River. In 1774, Wang was serving as a low-level official in this region. His inscriptions also mention earlier poets and painters whose conceptual and stylistic influences, along with the natural scenery, inspired the various scenes here, which were based on sketches made at the sites themselves.

Credit: Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton