Zhou Fang

Series: The Royal Collection of Imperial China

978-1-4878-0165-6_S
Detail of the handscroll

Artist: Zhou Fang
Period: Tang Dynasty (618–907)
Medium: Handscroll
Dimensions: 101 × 22 cm
Price: $199.95
ISBN: 978-1-4878-0165-6
(Collected by the Liaoning Provincial Museum)

DESCRIPTION

Ink and color on silk; length 46 cm, width 180 cm

This painting depicts court ladies in a quiet and spacious garden, living a playful, extravagant life. It is a magnificent Tang Dynasty Palace scroll painting. The women’s full and round forms are decked out in a variety of costumes, with their hair in buns perched high on their heads, adorned with fresh flowers. Their movements are leisurely. They flap butterflies, play with dogs, admire cranes, or simply sit idly. Their maids follow them with fans.

ABOUT THE PAINTER

Zhou Fang, also known by the courtesy name Zhong Lang, lived in Jingxuan, Jingzhao (present day Xi’an, Shaanxi Province). He was a painter of the Tang Dynasty. Born into a noble family, he served as an offical in Yuezhou and later Xuanzhou. He was good at copying and calligraphy. He painted figures and images of the Buddha, but was especially skilled at painting noble women. His figures were full-bodied and dignified, employing colors that were soft and beautiful. His painting was particularly favored by the court’s scholar-bureaucrats. His portrait paintings were known for their divine appearance, and he painted excellent horses, birds, animals, and plants.