The fan is figure painting, and the medium decides the pace. Ink and colour on silk or paper ask to be read slowly, the eye led rather than struck.
The fan carries the Imperial habit of quotation: old masters borrowed, not copied. The picture is a conversation across centuries, and the figure painting keeps it polite.
The Imperial court collected pictures as proof of cultivation. A fan on the wall or in the hand said the owner knew how to look, which was its own kind of power.
The picture is a small school in looking. Sinocra keeps it in view with more from The Palace Museum, and the shop carries the craft forward.
Object details
| Name | Ni Tian character fan page (倪田人物扇面) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 新00100493 |
| Technique | Figure painting (人物) |
| Period | Imperial dynasty |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | Palace Museum Digital Collection (数字文物库) |
Image © The Palace Museum. View the original in the Palace Museum Digital Collection.