Zhang Peidun
Chinese (1772-1847)

Album of Miniature Landscapes, 1804
Ink and color on paper, 7 5/8 x 4 7/8” (each leaf)

Bowdoin 1942.036
Gift of William Bingham II from the Peterson Collection

Chinese landscape painting draws from a long and revered tradition. A young artist would typically spend many years copying the works of great masters before he attempted to create his own compositions. In these small album leaves Zhang Peidun demonstrates a number of established techniques, both paying homage to the long tradition that came before and demonstrating his own mastery over a range of painting styles.

In these four leaves from an album of eight (the other four may be seen at Colby College), Zhang conjures both in color and in ink alone idealized landscapes comprised of mountains and water. An oxherd and a fisherman exemplify the rustic ideals, while scholar-gentlemen at their leisure journey to simple retreats.

Eleanor Meyer, Bowdoin ’08