Poetic Illustration of Qixia Temple

CHINA; Ming dynasty

This is a depiction of Qixia Temple, located beside Qixiashan in Nanjing, Jiangsu. The temple was constructed during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502). By the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the location had become well known among scholars as a place of great tranquility and beauty. The painter of the picture, Dong Qichang, once served as the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, had most likely visited the temple. However, this is not a depiction of the actual landscape. Instead, it was painted in accordance with descriptions from the poem Cloud Dwelling Room of Qixia Temple written during the Tang dynasty (618–907) by Quan Deyu.
It seems that the layout of the picture and the portrayal of the towering mountains with carefully spaced lines and light shading was inspired by the art of Wang Meng. The temple is sketched with sparse lines. The river that runs through the middle of the bottom register is portrayed with empty space. In the upper right corner, there is an inscription by Dong Qichang written in the summer of 1627, a year after the picture was completed. In the inscription, Dong mentions “painting in the poem,” a reference to the painter Wang Wei and an indication of his influence. The restrained style and skillful use of the dry-brush technique recall the concise paintings of Ni Zan.