Composing Poetry in the Hall of the Luxuriant Cypress

Pan Gongshou, 1781

This is a typical ‘landscape of the study’ (shuzai shanshui). In that genre, scholars are depicted in their study in the midst of nature. This painting was made for Ye Tang, a famous actor at the Chinese opera in the late 18th century. His study was called the ‘Hall of the Luxuriant Cypress’. Ye Tang is depicted as a poet, alone in his study.