Flowering trees shade a viewing pavilion set on a foreground area reached by bridge over a meandering stream. Another foot-bridge connects with the middle ground where stands a villa behind a brushwood fence. Tall peaks crowd the remainder of the picture, their elongated forms and distinctive configurations suggesting that they are slightly swaying, keeping time with unheard music. This otherworldly character is supported by the coloring, mineral blues and greens that conjure the fairylands of ancient stories and tales.
The artist, Liang Ji, is not recorded in standard biographical texts but from his inscription here we know that he came from Suzhou. The style of the painting would suggest a dating to the later 18th century, probably after publication around 1760 of Zhang Geng’s Guochao Huazheng Xulu, which was particularly conscious of literati masters from Suzhou.
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