Picnic on the Riverbank

The spurious signature in the lower left corner attributes this painting to the Southern Song master Ma Yuan (late twelfth-early thirteenth century). In fact, on the basis of its composition and landscape details, this painting should be attributed to Yuan Jiang of the eighteenth century. Yuan, a court painter, is known for integrating finely detailed renderings of architecture and figures with monumental landscapes. In this painting, a group of scholar-officials and their servants picnic in a dramatic, atmospheric riverside setting. Their fancifully structured boat waits to ferry them back.