Enjoying the Sun Beneath Pine Trees

Ma Lin, named in the red seal, was the son of the great academy artist Ma Yuan. Characterized by firm, expert brushwork, the composition and stylistic features of this painting place it clearly within the classical tradition of court painting that flourished in Hangzhou from the 1100s to the early 1400s. The Daoist theme of a lone scholar viewing the sunrise is standard Southern Song subject matter. He reclines on a riverbank with bronze ritual implements arranged in front of him, probably in preparation for ritual incense burning. The Daoist philosophy, with its emphasis on nature, was fundamental to the early development of landscape painting and nature poetry in China.