The art of the Song dynasty

The Song dynasty is known especially for the development of monumental landscape painting.

960–1279 C.E.

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What is the Song Dynasty?

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Attributed to Muqi, <em>Six Persimmons</em>
Attributed to Muqi, Six Persimmons

Rendered simply in tones of ink, Six Persimmons is a treasure of Zen Buddhist painting.

Ding ware bowl, Northern Song dynasty
Ding ware bowl, Northern Song dynasty

This porcelain bowl with reeds and geese for decoration has a metal rim where the bowl couldn't be glazed

Attributed to Zhang Zeduan, <em>Along the River during Qingming Festival</em>, handscroll
Attributed to Zhang Zeduan, Along the River during Qingming Festival, handscroll

Along the River during Qingming Festival offers a rare glimpse of the thriving commercial activity of medieval China.

Emperor Huizong, <em>Auspicious Cranes</em>, handscroll
Emperor Huizong, Auspicious Cranes, handscroll

Emperor Huizong's Auspicious Cranes records natural phenomena that would be interpreted as a good omen for the dynasty.

Gu Kaizhi, <em>Nymph of the Luo River</em>
Gu Kaizhi, Nymph of the Luo River

We can recognize from Gu Kaizhi's painting the emergence of Chinese landscape tradition.

Ceramic pillow
Ceramic pillow

Ceramic pillows became a popular domestic item among middle- and upper-class families during the Song dynasty

Bowl with “oil spot” glaze
Bowl with “oil spot” glaze

Jian ware tea bowls were highly prized in China but seem to have gone out of fashion there, whereas the Japanese adopted them for use in tea ceremonies.

Guan ware long-necked vase
Guan ware long-necked vase

Guan ware is probably one of the rarest and most admired types of Chinese ceramics in the present world.

Illustration to the <em>Fumu enzhong jing</em>, Dunhuang
Illustration to the Fumu enzhong jing, Dunhuang

The central section of the painting is made up of scenes illustrating the Fumu enzhong jing, an apocryphal sutra that was popular at Dunhuang in this later period.

Stencil for a five-figure Buddha group
Stencil for a five-figure Buddha group

This stencil (or pounce) is one of very few to survive, and is the largest and most impressive of those found at Mogao.

Song dynasty (960–1279), an introduction
Song dynasty (960–1279), an introduction

Overall, the Song dynasty was a time of stability and economic, cultural, and artistic prosperity.

Liang Kai (attributed), <em>White Egret</em>
Liang Kai (attributed), White Egret

A painting of a lonely white egret standing in shallow water, attributed to the famous painter Liang Kai

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