清 王原祁 江國垂綸圖 卷|Fishing in River Country at Blossom Time

Wang Yuanqi

dated 1709 · Handscroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

The youngest of the "Four Wangs," Wang Yuanqi was tutored in painting by his grandfather Wang Shimin (1592–1680). Wang's knowledge of art gained official recognition in 1705, when he and four others were commanded by the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662–1722) to compile a comprehensive study of painting and calligraphy, which was published in 1708 under the title Peiwenzhai shuhua pu. According to Wang Yuanqi's inscription, this painting was inspired by a "blue-and-green" landscape by Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322) that belonged to Wang's family collection. Wang's abstract mountain shapes interconnect and coalesce to form surging "dragon veins," through which the "breath force" of the mountains is said to flow.

Artist

Wang Yuanqi

Date

dated 1709

Medium

Handscroll; ink and color on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988