The Seven Sages Passing Through a Gate

Description

Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
17th century
Fan mounted as an album leaf, ink and light color on paper
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker
Art Collection Fund, 1990/2.1

Gatherings of renowned scholars were a popular subject
in Chinese painting. Now mounted as an album leaf,
Sheng Maojun’s fan painting alludes to a historical event
of the Kaiyuan era (713–41), when seven prominent scholars
celebrated the first snowfall of winter by traveling to
Longmen temple outside of Chang’an (present day Xi’an, in
central China).
Sheng Maojun’s family included five professional painters
who likely worked together to produce paintings for
Suzhou’s art market. His better-known elder brother was
Sheng Maoye, whose handscroll The Orchid Pavilion Gathering
is also on display in this case. A comparison of the two
paintings sheds light on the role each brother presumably
played in the family workshop. Sheng Maoye’s handscroll
references literary works, suggesting he received a better
education than Sheng Maojun. Additionally, Sheng Maojun
appears to have been less skilled at painting figures,
perhaps indicating he had fewer opportunities to refine his
technique.