Ma Lin

CHINA, Zhejiang, Hangzhou; Southern Song dynasty

Ma Lin was a painter from Qiantang (present day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). Born into a family of painters, his grandfather was Ma Shirong and his father was Ma Yuan. Ma developed skills in depicting landscapes, flowers, birds, and human figures. He once worked as a painter-in-attendance at the Imperial Painting Academy and was highly-regarded by Emperor Ningzong (reigned 1194–1224) of the Southern Song dynasty.
Of his most well-known paintings, Icy-Tipped Plum Blossoms, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing, and Listening Intently to the Wind is at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. Other works, such as Sunset Landscape, are listed as Important Cultural Properties of Japan and kept in various museums around the country.