Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (Zhulin qixian 竹林七賢)

Description

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove are a group of scholars and artists who lived during troubled times in the 3rd century. They became the subject of lore and their lives of retirement in nature became an important theme in art and a model for later intellectuals living in times of political upheaval. In this scroll, the Seven Sages and their attendants are seen engaged in various scholarly activities: writing calligraphy on a cliff, music, chess, chanting poetry, and painting. The imperial seals on the scroll indicate that the painting was in the Qing imperial collection from the time of the Qianlong emperor.