Green Mountains along Clear Streams

A Manchu artist, Tang Dai studied painting with the great painter Wang Yuanqi (1642–1715) and inherited the conventional styles of orthodox masters. Because of his service at the court, Tang developed a decorative and elaborate style catering to the taste of the nobility. He was also able to have contact with the Jesuit missionaries there, and his works often reveal influences from Western prints and paintings. Some of this influence might be seen in the modeling in light and dark and the sense of spatial depth in this landscape.

Tang’s paintings won the favor of the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662–1722) who granted him the title of Painting Champion (Huazhuangyuan) and often made remarks on his landscapes, such as: “I admire Tang’s paintings. The more I think on them, the more meaning I find in them,” and “If his paintings were placed between those of Ni Zan (1310–1374) and Huang Gongwang (1269–1354), no one could tell them apart.”