A landscape in silk, every mountain and cloud outlined by a technique that refuses to smudge, so that the picture reads as clearly as if it had been cut from the weave.
Shen Zifan was the leading kesi master of the Southern Song, turning painted compositions into tapestries with a patience the age revered. Where Zhu Kerou had set the standard, he refined it, and his signed pieces became court treasures.
The Palace Museum in Beijing holds his best work. Kesi was the most exacting textile art in China, and Shen Zifan is the name that still stands for its peak.
Object details
| Name | Kesi Silk Tapestry by Shen Zifan (沈子蕃缂丝) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | — |
| Technique | Silk tapestry (kesi) |
| Period | Southern Song dynasty |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | 北京故宫博物院 |
Image © The Palace Museum, Beijing. See the original in the museum collection.