Inscription:
“Listening to the tide in an ancient temple,
it is getting dark along the river;
Through breaking waves the boats return,
carrying much moonlight.
During the ninth lunar month of the year 1798, I followed the painting ideals of the Mi family.
Meng-ch’an.”
Colophon:
“In this fan Meng-ch’an imitates Hsia-tsun-che (Shih-t’ao) and truly attains the essence of K’u-kuo
(Shih-t ‘ao). This is not what artful fellows of the rivers and lakes (i.e. swindlers), or those foolish
scholars who take part in European and Western learning, or who take the Ha i-s hang (Shanghai)
school into their hearts can see even in their dreams.” Seal: Hsiao-t’ung Mi-wan
Strong contrasts of ink tonality characterize this scene of tall trees on riverside bluffs and a storied house overlooking the river on which several boats return. The brushwork is powerful and strident and may indicate that the work was done at least partially by the fingernails of the artist.
Ying-pao was a Manchu, a member of the Plain White Banner (under the emperor’s direct command) and the eldest son of the important Grand Secretary Yung-kuei. Ying-pao held office as Clerk but at age thirty, because of some ailment, he was allowed to retire, after which he devoted himself to the arts. Known for his poetry and landscape paintings, he was especially skilled at finger painting, supporting the suggestion made here that the present work was done by that unusual method. Ying-pao also became known as a skillful carver of seals, and a calligrapher who followed the style of his friend , Liu Yung ( l720-l805).
Ying-pao knew, and painted for, Fa-shih-shan (1753-1813), member of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Imperial Household division. These friendships suggest that Ying-pao was a contemporary of theirs and the present work thus a work of his later years.
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