The signature, Liu Chuan, is from the early 17th century and appears genuine. The piece is uncommon in format. It is a very nice work. *

The painting is dated 1633 and signed Liu Chuan, a late Ming painter from Anhui Province. He was a scholar, poet and calligrapher of some renown. In painting, he is said to have followed the style of Gao Kegong, though this painting is quite close to Li Liufang, a contemporary who was a friend of Dong Qichang’s. Liu’s brushwork is described as strong and rough, which corresponds perfectly with this painting. This is a very interesting work by a very little known painter active in a very important time. The painting itself is strong.

Professor Peter Sturman, University of California, Santa Barbara

This is a genuine work by a minor painter of the late Ming dynasty. Liu Chuan’s sobriquet was Yuechuan and he was a native of Sheshan in Anhui province. He was known for his wet sketchy landscapes in the tradition of Gao Kegong, He Zheng, and Chen Shun, of which this scroll is an example. This work is one of the rare examples in the Scripps collection of the loose painting style associated with the literati.

Professor Kathleen Ryor, Carleton College


Oversized scroll. On the outside of the scroll, in pencil: Ming. Liu Chuan. Landscape (Rain and storm). PF1073.

Signature and date by the artist: “In the sixth year of the Chongzhen era (1632), Yuechuan, Liu Chuan sketched [this].” Artist’s seal below.

Professor Kathleen Ryor, Carleton College

(inscription in the lower left and square red seal in the lower right).

Black ink brushed on silk, with an off-white silk brocade mounting.

Long, horizontal scroll with an image of a landscape and a fisherman on the water. A figure stands on the shore, in the lower left of the image.

This object has the following keywords:

• Lakes and Rivers
• Screens and Scrolls
• Workers

This object is a member of the following portfolios: