
1844
This detailed ink cake is decorated on one side with a landscape painting in low relief and a poem after the writer Wen Zhengming (1470–1559). The opposite side is carved with cavorting dragons and a poetic inscription by the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–95) on the reverse. The poem by Wen reads: An elegant pavilion at the turn of the stream; The pine tops crane out of the woods. Fallen leaves drift away on the water, Autumn’s colors stay, completely covering the fragrant mountain.