Jiao Bingzhen, attrib. General Zhu Zhixi in His Garden, 19th-early 20th c. Bowdoin 1942.032 This handscroll depicts the leisure activities of General Zhu Zhixi, a deeply respected Qing Dynasty civil official. An advocate of proper record-keeping, Zhu dedicated the last years of his life to controlling the waters of the Yellow River, thus inspiring cities along the river to erect temples in his honor. This scroll shows a moment of rest for Zhu, who relaxes in a pavilion beneath geometrically painted foliage, a common convention of later Chinese painting. The artist also interestingly illustrates the mending of a pavilion’s roof, a candid touch in an otherwise typical painting of a scholar's estate. Erica McLeod, Bowdoin ’08  |